The Price of Passion
by Midnight Memories
Summary: What do you mean, my little brother isn't the Kazekage anymore...?" ShikamaruTemari, sequel to "The Not so Troublesome Woman"! COMPLETE
1. Arrest

**Author's Note:  
**Yes, readers, this is the sequel to my story "The Not So Troublesome Woman"! To my new readers, it's not a definite necessity to read the prequel, but you might lose some ends here and there if you don't. The story will still be understandable, but to get the full impact, I suggest going to read it.

* * *

**Title:  
**The Price of Passion

**Rating:  
**As usual, T. It leaves me more to play with, especially since Temari will be uberly stressed through this fic and might go on a violent killing spree. Kankuro also has a potty mouth. There's some romance, as you can imagine, but noooo, no lemons. You should know that by now.

**Pairings:  
Main: **Shikamaru x Temari  
'Tis it.

**Dedication:  
**I'm dedicating this story to a friend of mine, miss Shadow Owner! :D Without her, honestly, there wouldn't have been a sequel. Her fanship (new word for you, dear!) has inspired me to write yet another ShikaTema...

If my NejiTen readers whimper, I have just ALMOST completed (well close to, stuck on prompt 10, of course...) I.Heart.Hatake.Kakashi's 'Ten for NejiTen' prompt challenge before anyone else! -Punches air- So go read that! But first, of course, read this chapter too...

**Disclaimer:  
**The characters are not mine.

* * *

**Chapter One: Arrest**

The sun was beginning to poke out from the horizon, casting long shadows around the peaceful village of Sunagakure. Almost all windows were dark, except for the occasional lighted one who showed that its inhabitants were awake.

Occasionally, the woman would catch a glimpse of a Genin team sparring, yet it was so early that barely anyone was up yet. Only the most drilling sensei would force their youths so early outside at such an early hour. But the woman had to admit that it was one of the only times of day that was fresh enough to go out with a jacket on.

Undaunted, Temari slid through the door of her own massive home at almost six in the morning, a small smile tugging at her features as she slung her pack from her shoulder onto the nearest wall. She watched it with an amused smirk on her face as it struck the spot, then thumped on the ground and remained motionless.

Eager to see her brothers again after such a long time, the Sand kunoichi made her way to the kitchen, were small noises of cutlery striking plates drifted. She burst in the room without announcing herself, grinning sheepishly. "I'm back!"

The two looked up at her. They were seated face to face, with surprisingly good-looking food between them on the wooden table. The plants around the cozy room, usually rare in the desert, were looking bright and lively. Sunlight softly streamed through the bay window, yet wasn't sufficient for the small chandelier to not be opened.

The youngest of the family was the first to speak up. "About time, Temari. This was a five day mission- you've been gone almost three weeks."

Chuckling awkwardly at the truth behind the accusation, she cautiously brushed a hand against the back of her head and attempted an apology. "I'm sorry?"

"No you're not," Kankuro suddenly teased, looking at his sister with a knowing smirk on his lips. "You've been hanging out with your shadow freak again, right?"

Bristling instantly, Temari bit back, "His name's Shikamaru! Get it right for once, Kankuro!"

The puppeteer burst in laughter and even the corners of Gaara's lips rose lightly in amusement. After a few seconds of resistance, Temari melted into a smile at the memory of spending two straight weeks with Shikamaru. Even Tsunade had allowed the lazy shinobi to take the time off until she'd leave.

_-Flashback-_

_A cool breeze made the blonde woman crack her eyes open, yet she was only met by darkness. Blinking, she attempted to sit up, but Shikamaru's arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, binding her to his arms._

_Reluctantly, she once again leaned down on the cool grass, resting her head on his chest as her eyes roamed around. They had been watching the sunset together, occasionally sharing a few words, but he had eventually fallen asleep. Temari, unable to wake him up once her eyes had settled upon his peaceful face, had only leaned against him and had herself allowed sleep to overcome her as well._

_She was about to succumb to it again when she felt Shikamaru's soft lips pressing against his forehead. Smiling, she opened her eyes to look up at him, her vision now slightly accustomed to the darkness._

_"I'm glad Gaara changed his mind about us," he whispered tiredly, shifting to look down at her._

_"Me too," she nodded, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "The council wasn't very happy, but they sucked it up for now."_

_Shikamaru smiled and began playing with a lock of her loose hair. "I'm glad. But even if they'd interdict us to be together, I'd still find ways to meet with you. Even if it would mean being thrown into jail. At least you'd visit me."_

_Temari chuckled. "Maybe if you'd be nice."_

_Those were the last words they spoke before settling into a comfortable silence for the rest of the night._

_-End of Flashback-_

"There she goes againn," Kankuro droned when Temari brought herself back to reality. "Don't even try talking to her, Gaara, we both see that her head's still with that guy."

Temari blinked, before turning back her attention to Gaara. "Did you talk to me?"

"I was asking how the actual mission went," the redhead sighed lightly, a small glint in his eyes. He had known a long time ago that his sister would spend quite a large amount of time with the Leaf shinobi. But it was something he could accept in exchange for her happy features.

"Oh, it went well," she grinned evasively. "It was only document transportation, no big deal. It went fast. Anything new happened here?" As she spoke, she expertly picked a toast from Kankuro's plate and began to chew on it before he could attempt grabbing it back.

Kankuro shot the piece of crusty bread a longing look, before returning his eyes to Temari. "Council's being a bitch."

"I asked for something new, Kankuro," she chuckled, once again planting her teeth in the tasty food. "Ever since we came back from Konoha with the news of our new treaty with them, they've been prickly. They keep wanting Gaara to rethink his alliance."

"Which I won't do." Gaara wiped his mouth as he finished eating. "I'm never considering such an act again."

Temari grinned proudly at her brother. She was glad that he had changed his mind about the alliance, or else she and Shikamaru would be in trouble. Ever since they had begun their relationship about a year ago, Gaara had done everything to ease the tension of their long-distance status. Every mission he had to Konoha, he'd sent Temari. He had even managed to get Tsunade to send Shikamaru all the way to Suna for his older sister's birthday. Surprisingly, the shinobi had made the trip and hadn't complained once.

"Thank you," she suddenly said, smiling warmly at her brother.

Gaara smiled back slightly, but Kankuro had to ruin the moment. "Keep your gratitude for next time you're in Konoha, Temari! We need you here, remember."

She groaned and reached over to hit the puppeteer across the head as she snapped teasingly, "Can't you be more considering, Kankuro!?"

The oldest boy burst in laughter and even Gaara chuckled softly. Temari felt herself smiling warmly as she marveled how much her family had changed over the years. At how much her entire life had changed, actually.

Nothing could break the happy daze she managed to spend her days into.

Kankuro and Gaara then began discussing something regarding a possible hidden shinobi nation, something that held zero interest for the blonde kunoichi. Deciding to somewhat make up for her tardiness, she picked up a few plates and glasses and headed towards the kitchen.

Her thoughts once again began swirling towards Shikamaru as she slowly loaded the dishwasher. Her eyes peered over to the sunrise, knowing that he was surely in a laziness-ensued sleeping state at the moment.

Reluctantly, she stopped filling the machine as she leaned over the marble countertop, staring out into their immense lawn. It was way too big for only three people, but their family had always owned this big stretch of field. It often kept most intruders at bay, since if they attempted anything, they'd have to run for their lives in order to escape from the Kazekage's property.

But it suited the kunoichi just fine. As loud and boisterous as she was, she always knew that when she'd come home, she'd be able to relax as much as she wanted.

"Put your hands where we can see them now! And don't try anything!"

The voice had been so loud, so close, that the glass Temari had been holding fell from her shocked fingers and shattered against the tiled floor. She whirled around to find the source of the shout, yet she was still alone in the kitchen.

Without thinking properly, she hurriedly rushed towards the dining room, where she was greeted with dozens of ANBU members. Two raised their weapons to her and she stopped, slightly confused. But then she noticed that one had his kunai dangerously hovering over Gaara's skin and was unable to contain herself.

"What _the hell_ is this?" she screeched loudly, shaking off a man who had attempted to grab her arm. "Who are you all to come in our house in such a _freaking_ rude way?"

"We have orders to arrest Sabaku no Gaara!" the captain barked roughly.

The aforementioned shinobi tilted his head to look at the man. "Chokichi, nice to see you." He then turned to the group of three ANBU who stood behind Kankuro. "Hisoka, Isas, Yuudai. Good morning to all three of you."

He then proceeded to name every single person who had just entered, all who cringed slightly when the redhead recognized them. As he finished, Kankuro burst into a shot of laughter as he shouted, "Wow, so much for secrecy!"

"Seriously," Temari sighed, shaking her head as the man who had the weapon pointed at Gaara's neck backed up with fear. "Did you all really expect him to blankly stare at you all and wonder who you are? He appointed most of you as ANBU anyways."

Chokichi remained unfazed and took a step forward. "Orders are orders! We are to bring you to the office."

"To his office you mean!" Kankuro snickered, standing up. "Come on, men! This is the Kazekage you're talking about. He's the highest in position through Suna. You have no right to just order him around!"

"Actually, puppet boy, we do," Chokichi chuckled as he approached the blank-faced redhead. "We have a notice, right here, that revokes Sabaku no Gaara's rights to the title of Kazekage."

As soon as he spoke, he produced a legal-style document and first placed it a few inches in front of Gaara's face, before tauntingly throwing it at Kankuro. The older brother stared incredulously at most people present in the room, before bending over the paper. Temari also stomped over to review the document.

Sure enough, the ten signatures of the council where there. Ten signatures proclaiming the men's desires to turn Suna over to the hands of a certain man called Inoue Fumio were brightly scratched down on paper.

"But that's impossible," Temari whispered after reading over the lines. "I don't understand."

Chokichi chuckled. "You're not supposed to, lady. Now if you'll please excuse us, we'll take—"

"Oh no!" Kankuro suddenly roared, "You are not taking my brother away!"

Temari also stood up, but before neither could do anything, the ANBU all surged upon them, immobilizing the two siblings on the wall. The small struggle had knocked the table over, shattering whatever glass there had been left on it and causing a great commotion.

Cruelly, two of the ANBU had grabbed Temari by the hair and had smacked her hard against the wall. Meanwhile, Kankuro had received quite a few nasty blows to the head and had fallen limply to the ground.

But Gaara knew that all of the ANBU, without mentioning the few dozens surely posted outside, were no match for them. They were the toughest shinobi in Sand Village. Knowing he had lost the fight without even starting it, he looked at the captain said, "Let them be and I'll follow you without a fuss."

Smirking, Chokichi snapped his fingers. "He said he'd follow us, men. Let's get out of here!"

A few vanished on the spot, but most remained to clap some handcuffs around Gaara's wrists and ankles. They threw his gourd down besides his sibling's unconscious forms with cruel laughs before heading towards the meeting place with Suna's former Kazekage in tow.

* * *

**A/N**: Y'all surely remember me, don't you?

Yes, this is a cliffhanger?  
Ah, so NOW you remember me! XD

Yeah so honestly, I have to give you all my situation.  
I currently have four classes, all close to 2h each.  
One's Writer's Craft, where I sit and write like crazy (already have four texts due monday!!)  
Second is Netowrking, and right now all we're doing is research, so I stare at a computer screen again.  
Third is my correspondence course, where I stare at my computer non-stop. Again.  
Lastly is Advanced French, where I work like a nutso from when the fist bell ring to the last bell ring.

It's insane. So you all can understand that when I come home, I'm exhausted and don't really want to sit back at the computer. Plus I have a part-time job... So the chapters of this story might not come out as fast as "The Not So Troublesome Woman"'s did... But I'll try my very best not to make you all linger too much!

Take care!


	2. Gaara's Confinement

**Chapter Two: Gaara's Confinement**

Temari cracked an eye open and was suddenly attacked by a relentless migraine. Her head pounded as she stared up at the ceiling, the unexpected desire to fall back to sleep shaking her psyche. Groaning, she attempted to roll over, only to find her entire body heavier than usual.

"What the hell did I do?" she grumbled as she grasped at her memory, attempting to piece together what could've made her feel so horrible.

Placing her palms on the cool floor to her left, she pushed herself to a sitting position. Sadly, though, she regretted her move and was left swooning lightly, her mind a complete wreck. To ward off the nausea, she pressed her forehead against one of her knees, her eyes lidded tiredly.

After the initial wave of discomfort had faded from her being, she lazily trained her eyes on the messy dining room. For a second, she was confused as to why the table was turned upside down and the glasses shattered. Then the rush of memories overcame her and she whirled around, her throat constricting.

Hurriedly, she crawled towards the unconscious form of her younger brother. He looked half-dead; his face was pale and his breathing was slow.

Her heart began to race frantically. She hated to see any of her brothers injured; except, of course, when the injury came from her. But then again, she would never hurt them as much as the ANBU had.

Forcefully, she shook Kankuro's limp form, biting her lower lip nervously. When she received no response from him, she arched her hand back and slapped him forcefully across the face as she snapped, "Come on, Kankuro! Get up!"

It had the desired effect; the puppeteer stirred before unwillingly opening his eyes. He then placed a hand over his forehead and groaned, before mumbling in a cracked voice, "What did I drink last night…?"

"Who knows, I wasn't here," she dryly commented, getting to her feet. She wobbled slightly, but then managed to clutch the wall so she wouldn't fall over.

"Why'd you hit me?" the boy suddenly questioned with a sigh, placing a hand over his reddening left cheekbone.

Temari heavily sank in an upturned chair. If he was expecting apologies, he would wait a long time. "Because you were unconscious?"

He scoffed. "And you thought that waking me up by hitting the hell out of me was a good idea?"

"It had the desired effect," she shrugged carelessly.

Sensing something was wrong with his sister, Kankuro trained his bloodshot eyes on her from his position on the floor. He remained silent, clearly bidding her to speak.

Turning her head away, she finally said, "Gaara's gone."

She saw Kankuro blink confusedly for a few seconds before remembering what had happened a few hours ago. Frantically, he stood up; only to fall back down a couple of seconds later. Groaning, he rolled on his stomach and growled, "I'm going to get him back!"

"How?" she replied, her eyes still on the floor. "I doubt they'll let you just stroll in there, pick up our brother, say goodbye and leave. They probably tossed him in a cell and he's waiting for his trial or whatever's expected of him."

The shinobi hesitated as he managed to sit up on a nearby chair. "Or the alternative could happen…"

"Kankuro!" Temari snarled, suddenly slamming a fist against the wall. "Don't think like that! Gaara's changed!"

"Yeah, I know! But maybe for saving his own skin…" He ignored the glare sent to him by his sister. "But the question remains; how can we get him out of there?"

She shot him an exasperated glare. "If I knew, would I be sitting here, idiot?"

Having his ego bruised, even in this situation, didn't quite please Kankuro. Growling lightly, he snapped back, "Well maybe you should've listened to Shadow Freak instead of always shutting him up and kissing him! Maybe you would've learnt something from his overly developed brain."

Temari was also about to engage in another one of their deadly fights, which often enough resulted in her slamming her fan above his head. Suddenly, though, the mention of Shikamaru brought her to a halt. "You'll have to stop calling him that, now. You're not under Gaara's protection; you'll have to watch your mouth."

"And you, yours!" he hissed as he looked away. "I had a high position, sure, but you were the one getting all the privileges! You could handpick your missions, beat and yell at anyone you desired without much punishment, could stay longer or shorter than allowed during your tasks, and you could go see everybody back at Ko—"

Temari abruptly stood up. In one fluid motion she grabbed her fan and left the house, slamming the door in the process.

* * *

"Sabaku no Gaara, what a pleasure…"

The redhead glared up from his position, once again looking over the small cell. There was barely any room to move; a five-foot long bed took on the entire back wall, and he had three feet before he'd reach the darkened damage-proof window. It was the smallest cell in Suna, reserved for the most dangerous criminals and guarded by more than a dozen of ANBU officers.

"Won't you talk to me?" the taunting male voice replied. "After all, I didn't have you murdered on the spot."

"Your guards harmed my family," Gaara spat back, wishing he still had his gourd with him. Maybe the man wouldn't be enjoying this then…

"How unfortunate. But they got in the way; it's their fault after all." The voice turned into a mocking laugh, making Gaara's blood boil.

Finally, after a few moments, the redhead questioned, "Who are you?"

"Don't you recognize my voice, Gaara?" he chuckled. "Come on, it's me! Your old pal!"

The shinobi growled slightly. "Of course, I recognize you. How could I forget such a disgusting voice, Fumio."

"No, no, no, now! Call me by… how did you put it last year… Kazekage-sama?" Fumio laughed again.

"Is that why I'm here? The incident last summer at Konoha?" Gaara questioned, remembering when he had used such a quote. His face crinkled slightly at the thought of Mitsuo and his arrogant demeanor. He was definitely glad to have rid the world of that man.

"Incident?" Fumio once again began to laugh scornfully. "You betrayed the law of Suna! You refused to accept the council's decision, even when the vote was definitely in majority! You recklessly murdered a man simply because you didn't like him. You allowed your brother to run around and take VIP passes everywhere. You let your sister date a man from another country, despite the agreements your father made beforehand to have the council pick a suitable man for her. You declared an alliance despite the fact that more than 95 of the Suna population was ready to fight for you! Then you came back to us and slip back into good old Kazekage? It took quite a while, but all the paperwork and formulas are done; you will not keep that function."

"I will not justify my actions for you," Gaara replied monotonously. "But know that my siblings will not bend under your will. Kankuro never used his status to boost his importance; at the end of the day, he'd still be waiting in line for his food at the restaurant. As for my sister, I personally will not allow any of you to let her marry anyone that she doesn't want to."

"You do know it is a serious scandal," Fumio murmured, dropping his voice, "when a Kazekage gets his title revoked. Imagine the disgrace, Gaara; imagine what it would do to your precious family." He waited a few seconds to let it sink in. "But I can make you a deal."

Gaara leaned back against the cold wall, frowning lightly. He wouldn't compromise his own honor for the sake of a few liberties. Refusing to reply, he shut his eyes and remained silent.

Fumio's tone dropped as he whispered through the window, "I can promise you that your family will not be bothered anymore, Gaara. Isn't that what you truly desire?"

The redhead swallowed painfully, still refusing to speak.

Fumio waited a few seconds, then angrily punched the tinted window. "I'll get even with you, Sabaku no Gaara! I'll make you and your entire family pay for your lack of cooperation!"

The footsteps echoed away as the man left, but Gaara still didn't budge. Cracking his eyes open in the semi-darkness, he lowered his head and stared numbly at the floor.

* * *

"Is that Sabaku no Temari? The old Kazekage's sister?" a man whispered questioningly.

As soon as he had spoken, the entire crowd began to scream questions and flash cameras at the stomping blonde, who refused to answer anyone as she headed straight for the main entrance.

The doors of the building that served as Suna's headquarters were violently burst open as an angry Temari shot through the opening. Ignoring the few people that turned to look at her, she streamed past the crowd towards the stairway. She took them two at a time, making the ascent to the desired floor much quicker than she usually managed.

As she slid through the well-lit corridor, her eyes were trained on a couple of shinobi posted outside. Strangely, they weren't guarding the door like she had expected; they were taking things out of the office.

Out of the Kazekage's office. Her brother's things.

Temari stopped by the door, ignoring the wary glances of the three men busy packing things. Her eyes scanned over the precious documents and the few personal things Gaara kept in his office, now brutally smacked in some cardboard.

But then she heard his voice.

Her entire body stood straighter as a wave of anger assaulted her. Her teeth gritted furiously and she once again brushed past the crowd to storm in the Kazekage's office…

And came face-to-face with Fumio.

* * *

A/N: Ahh, cliffhangers. Don't ya wish your cliffies were hot like me? … Erm. No. Okay, moving on!

So, sorry for the delay. Argh. Writer's Craft takes up ten times more work than I thought it would take. I mean, you get ZERO time to sit back in your chair and relax. Plus I had to finish the 10 for NejiTen… Which I did. Woot.

It's wave after wave of work. I've been smothered a bit by it, which is why I didn't feel much like writing this chapter. But I did it! Be proud!

Hope you enjoyed! Thank you to those who reviewed!  
Take care!


	3. Chatting with Evil

**Chapter Three: Chatting with Evil **

Temari raised her eyes to stare at the man in front of her, her anger only fuming. The doors were shut behind herself, locking her into a large, almost empty room with a wide bay window at the back. She had always found it ironic that Gaara, who used to despise sunshine and preferred the comfort of shadows, would request such a room. Of course, it was beautiful with rich-coloured walls and wooden floors, but she had never expected the redhead to take a liking to this particular room.

A small chuckle left Fumio's lips as he turned from the bay window to face her. "Good afternoon, Temari."

The blonde woman marched right up to the desk, which now separated her from the shinobi. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes as she coolly said, "Fumio. It has been quite a long time."

"Much too long, indeed," he chuckled. Vainly, he sat upon the seat behind the desk, taking obvious pride in stealing Gaara's place. "What can I do for you?"

Temari took a few seconds to study him. He had dirty blonde hair, which was slightly greasy at the roots, and cold grey eyes. He was just barely overweight, yet was tall enough so he could pull off the extra pounds. His face had a permanent sneer etched onto it, as though he was used to feeling superior to everyone.

"No need to play games with me, Fumio," she grumbled, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "The only reason I'm not caving your head in right now is because I have no idea where my brother is. Fortunately, you do; so you're going to be a nice boy and tell me where he is." The last statement wasn't a demand, but an order. Her eyes flashed menacingly as she moved her hands to her slender hips.

The boy chuckled. "Easy, Jewel. Remember who you're addressing."

She rolled her eyes. "Who might that be?"

Fumio also stood up, his eyes gleaming with the greed of power. "I am Kazekage of Suna now."

"And you thought I would care?" Temari suddenly roared, slamming her fist down onto the desk. "I lived for my entire life with Kazekages, do you really think that I'm going to be intimidated just because you stole that title?"

"I'd be much happier if you would use the word 'earned', Temari. I worked hard all my life to earn this; when all your brother did was to inherit it out of fear. Everybody was terrified of him; no one would've denied him the position."

Temari growled, hating to hear her brother being degraded so easily by such a man. "He did earn it. When he accepted the title, it was to attempt changing the village's image of him! Do not speak of my brother as though he's a monster! He's a much better man than you ever will be!"

Fumio chuckled again, stepping around the desk. He stood directly in front of her, the sneer never leaving his face as he raised his arms. "What do you want me to do, Temari? You're surely here for another reason than to whine, am I correct?"

"Watch your tongue or I swear I'll cut it out," she replied, her eyes blazing dangerously. "I want you to release my brother and let him come back home. We'll even leave you the title of Kazekage for now if you agree."

"I accept."

Temari blinked, suddenly confused. She took a step back and bristled defensively. "I assume you want something back in return."

"Of course I do. You know me so well, Jewel!" he sneered, obviously enjoying the sight of her frustration. "I will let your brother return home unscathed and I will tell the crowd whatever you want. I'll even hold a press conference and let him speak to defend himself if he wishes, but in return, I expect quite a lot. I want to know his exact location no matter what. You will allow a guard to live at your home and my patrol will be scouting your house regularly."

"Done deal," Temari nodded, a smirk covering her face.

But Fumio raised a hand. "I'm not done, Temari. I also request an assistant. Someone who will help me do some tasks, someone whom I'll rely on. A pretty assistant, if you understand my meaning."

Her mouth gaped slightly, before she burst into mocking laughter. "You want me to work for you?"

"Yes, I do," he said as he extended his hand towards her. "You will be my messenger, mostly. Since you know the town more than anyone else, plus you are used to working under Kazekage orders, you would be a perfect choice. Fair exchange for your brother's liberty, no?"

Temari stared at the extended hand with disgust. She had absolutely no intention in working for him, but if it would save Gaara's life...

Looking away, she reached over and grasped his hand. "Done. Lead me to him."

The loud creaking woke up the redhead as a surge of light filled his dim room. He raised his turquoise eyes to meet marine-hued orbs staring solemnly at him.

"Get up," Temari said, her voice raspy. "Let's get out of here."

Gaara obliged, the muscles in his legs cramped from the hours spent without moving an inch. He wordlessly slid out of his tiny prison and, squinting, stared at Temari inquisitively.

His older sister didn't even give him an explanation as she turned around. Her footsteps were quiet on the cold stone and he could hear the guards upstairs chattering aimlessly. Every single inmate was silent. There was a great price to pay for disturbances in this side of the jail.

"We need to get you back home for now," Temari finally spoke as they reached the stairs. "Then we'll discuss what to do. There'll be a guard permanently at our home; he should be there right now. Let's just hope Kankuro didn't massacre the poor man."

They managed to slip out of the building unnoticed- after all, Gaara did know every single nook and cranny of the Kazekage office building.

The pair was walking through a quiet alleyway when Gaara reached over to grab her wrist. She stopped and stared at him curiously. Usually, if he wanted her attention, he'd call her name. Never before did he physically touch her to talk to her.

"I'm not unintelligent, Temari," he said. "I know that my release had some consequences. We might not be able to talk alone for a while, so tell me what happened. What did you trade in order to free me?"

Temari stared into her little brother's eyes, unsure of what to reply. She was tempted to lie and invent a story, but knew that she couldn't do so without flinching. Not to Gaara, and definitely not under these kinds of situations. "I have to work for him. I guess he just wanted power, Gaara. Now he has it, he'll just bask into it for a while. Don't worry; I'm certain the villagers don't hate you. They might even request you back."

The redhead looked away, unsure of what to answer. It was true that most of Suna had begun to accept his rapid raise to power, but to think that they would actually ask for him?

He doubted it.

His grip on Temari's wrist tightened as he narrowed his eyes. "I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to, sister."

A small smile painted itself on the blonde's lips. This was surely the closest she could ever get to a declaration of brotherly love from him, and it warmed her to think that he meant what he had said. Gaara never spoke meaningless words.

"I promise you I won't," she smiled warmly, putting her free hand over his.

Rapidly, the redhead retreated, still not quite used to retorting to physical contact to portray feelings. He took the lead and they arrived at their room rather quickly. After unlocking the door, the siblings slid inside and headed to the living room, where Kankuro was waiting. Another shinobi was also seated across from them and was smirking victoriously.

As they entered, Temari halted and stared disbelievingly as Gaara remained emotionless. Shaking her head, she softly said, "No way."

"Oh yeah," Kankuro retorted, rolling his eyes in the process. "This is who will be watching over our home as of today."

Chokichi smirked at them from his position on the chair.

* * *

A/N: Hello people,

Well, I have good and bad news... Yes, you got a chapter early, because (yay) I got a laptop. We cleaned out the computer tech back room and found some old laptops... We asked the teacher if we could have them, and he said okay. I'm really happy! Yay! It only has 10Gb in the hard drive, an hour and a half of battery time, and has like 100 mb of RAM... XD But it has WordPerfect, so I'm just typing away when I have time.

On a more sombre tone, I had a phone call yesterday morning... My grandfather passed away after years of battling cancer. When I mean 'years', I mean like… fifteen years approximately. He'd been more severely attacked over the last year, but now it's over. So R.I.P grandpapa... This chapter's for you.

Reviews would be lovely... But if you don't want, then the important thing is that you read! So thank you.

Take care!


	4. A Betrayal Letter

**(1) Dedication: **This chapter's for iflip4dolphins. I had about 78 percent of the chapter written when I got the review you left me. Then when I reread my chapter, I noticed that I had a phrase in there that was exactly what you wrote in your last review! What a crazy cooincidence! So instead of editing it out, I'm leaving it there and dedicating the chapter to you!

* * *

**Chapter Four: A Betrayal Letter**

The door of Fumio's office bursted open, literally. It flung off its hinges and fell to the floor, resulting in a vibrant crash. The blond boy raised his eyes to look at the royally pissed-off woman(1) who was now stomping towards him.

She slammed her fist against the desk, making it shake dangerously. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak, but she was so overcome with rage that she was unable to talk. Instead, she simply glared at him as though it could convey as much as her unspoken words could.

"Temari," Fumio greeted her, his eyebrows arched lightly at the dramatic entrance. "I assume you got my message."

"I'm not here because of your stupid message!" she roared, narrowing her eyes. "I request a change of guard for my home! I suggest you accept or it would definitely compromise his safety!"

"It hasn't even been twenty-four hours," he commented, shooting a careless glance at the grandfather clock behind him. The needles pointed the time; only a mere eight thirty in the morning. "He doesn't do his job well?"

She scoffed, leaning closer. "Slightly -too- well, in my opinion. This morning he insisted that he had to follow me in the bathroom for my shower, worrying that I could somehow transmit a message to the outside world. Does he think I have radios stuck in my soap box? I'll go a year without a bath before I take my clothes off in front of that perverted sicko!"

Fumio chuckled softly. "Can't say I blame the poor guy." He shot her a sly glance. "I do agree it is a bit strong. I'll make sure he doesn't do it again, if you promise not to lock your door when you go in the bathroom."

Temari snorted indignantly, but finally relented and took a step back with her arms crossed. Warily, she asked, "What did you want, anyways?"

"What's the big rush?" he questioned with a sneer. "Relax, Jewel, life's good."

"Just tell me why you called me here," she snapped, her self-control taking an obvious strain to keep.

He smiled at her for a few seconds before pulling out a white envelope. "I have your first task. Fortunately, it'll take you out of the village, so it will leave me some time to clear some things with your brothers. Your mission is simply to deliver this before coming back. I expect you to report back to me in less than a week. Especially since it's rather simple; you'll arrive at the destination well-rested at night, deliver the document, then run back."

She stared at the envelope sullenly, as though it was going to bite her at any minute. "May I know what exactly is in this document? The delivery sounds dangerous."

"Well, of course, Temari! I'd never dare not inform you," he chuckled, running a hand through his hair as his eyes gleamed. "It's a declaration of a cold war."

She stared incredulously at him. "A... cold war? We're shinobi; we don't _do_ cold wars nowadays."

"It'll only be temporary, of course. It should degenerate soon enough. But for now, we're only going to be spying on each other, trying to gain information to know exactly when to attack. So I need you to give this letter to the Kage before dashing away. More than ninety percent of shinobi who deliver war declarations end up captured, tortured until they spill everything, then murdered recklessly." He reached over to touch her cheek. "I certainly do not want that to happen."

In one fluid motion, she reached up to smack his hand away. She hated him, and she hated the prospective of being the deliverer of such bad news. "Whatever you want, Fumio. And what country has the terrible luck of being your opponent?"

Fumio only smirked.

* * *

The last time Temari felt such a way, it was when Gaara had declared a temporary break of Konoha's alliance. Though now, it was even more of a grave situation- this time, the break wasn't temporary, but permanent.

She glanced down the hill at the wide, peaceful village, her heart racing. She had considered Konoha as her second home. Most of the time, when she went there, the villagers would often greet her and accept her as one of their own. Actually, sometimes she would consider the Leaf village to be her refuge; her secret place she could run to whenever something was wrong.

Slowly, she pulled up the hood of her sweater to cover her hair. She had left her fan back home, only bringing the strict necessary and the smallest amount of weapons. To be able to flee, she would need to be as light as she could be, hence why her massive piece of iron had been discarded. She would have to manage with only kunai and shuriken.

Reluctantly, she began to walk down the small dirt path that would bring her directly through the open gates. There, she was supposed to go all the way straight to the Hokage tower, wordlessly hand the letter to Tsunade, then get the hell out.

Even though Temari had never been a follower of rules, these were some that she couldn't play around with. If someone was to find those documents aside from the Hokage, she could be killed on the spot.

Finally, she entered the town, the familiar buildings greeting her. She smiled weakly as she noticed, in the distance, a few Genin running frantically after a black cat. The two boys were glaring intensely at each other, neither realizing that the feline had actually stopped running, and began shouting insults back and forth. Meanwhile, the girl only shook her head and swept the animal up in her arms.

"Go girl," Temari whispered quietly, turning her eyes away from the adorable sight. She never had much a childhood and it always warmed her to see kids simply acting their age. She knew that, later on in life, she would raise her children to be as free as they wanted. She would never hold them back from what they wanted to do.

As she kept on walking, a thought made its way into her mind. She considered pushing it away like she had done throughout the entire trip to the village, but this time she chose to face it. This wasn't only her second home; it was also her lover's country. She halted her steps and lowered her head, studying the small pebbles on the street she was walking upon. Surely, he'd know that she hadn't intended to do this to him. The news of Gaara's retirement would surely go around the village and he'd have to realize that she had nothing to do with the declaration of war.

But then again, she was the one bringing the letter. Would he really understand?

As of now, betrayal would be the biggest issue she could face. Even though she adored Shikamaru with all her heart, she always had a firm and undying love for her village. If ever she would get married to him, he'd have to move to Suna. There was no way she'd be able to live away from home permanently. Ever since she was little, she always wore her insignia proudly. Anytime someone would ask her where she was from, she'd boast about how perfect her country was.

The kunoichi reached into her pocket, touching the envelope. As of now, her village was at war with Shikamaru's. She was at war with him.

'_Not was,'_ she thought to herself, shaking her head, _'but rather will be. I still have time.'_

Turning around, she tugged her hood lower upon her face so she wouldn't be recognized. She walked until she saw the entrance to a certain part of the village, one that she recognized easily. She passed under the various trees and tall buildings, once again admiring about how the clan's part was built. The area was littered with shadows, the streets a puzzle of light and darkness from daybreak to dusk. It was a perfect situation for anyone living here. If ever the town was attacked and a bunch of shinobi would attempt to take over that clan during the day, those nins were as good as dead. The people living in this part of the village were the shadow manipulators. They were the Nara clan.

Finally Temari found the house she was looking for. Sighing, she leaned against the fence that bordered the large property for a few seconds. She stared around at the forest behind the house, where Shikamaru had comforted her a year ago; back when Gaara had last been physically brutal with her. Her story with him had mostly begun during that time...

She was lost in memories when she suddenly felt something wet upon her hand. Puzzled, she lowered her eyes to find a young doe looking up at her, her eyes wide with curiosity. With a grin, Temari reached down and petted her head, the fur soft against her trembling hand. Shikamaru's family had been raising deer for years, using their antlers for medicine. Even though her lover had always denied it and called them "troublesome", she knew that he always held his animals preciously close to him.

After that small break, she finally moved from the small pen and headed to the cozy-looking home. She climbed the wooden porch and stared at the door for a few seconds, her heart racing. After touching the envelope once last time, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

* * *

A/N: Hey everybody!

To those who think my cliffies are evil, well let me remind you that without them, readers just don't want more. Also, I apologize for promising the chapter for Friday. Read the PS for more info.

Hope you enjoyed!

Take care!

P.S. (This has nothing to do with the fic; it's only me ranting about my life. So there's no need to read! But some of you might find it funny.)

Tiny piece of advice...

So I had this project in sociology. We have to find a major man or woman that influenced either the domain of psychology, sociology, or anthropology, and do a five to ten minute presentation on him or her. (Side note that it'd be longer, but we're almost forty in the class, and we only have a week to do the presentations!) So Monday, when it was time to pick your person out of the list, everyone was struggling to get the least known ones (because we never studied them before, they can sometimes bluff their way through). Well I, both because I wanted to do honest work and because I thought "Well, it'll be easier to find decent information", I picked a popular one. I took Karl Marx (everyone was praying that they wouldn't be stuck with Sigmund Freud... XD I pity the kid who got him...), who is quite a popular figure of sociology.

Well I was right. Totally right. There's quite a lot of information. Actually, way too much! I printed **all** the pages I needed to do my project... ended up with over twenty-five pages of information I absolutely needed... Even more of unnecessary ones... Then I realized that my presentation's on Tuesday morning and I'm still not done! Hence I've been cramming like crazy for the last few days. Apologies for the late chapter.


	5. Careful Relief

**Dedication:** This one's for I.Heart.Hatake.Kakashi! E, I know you don't quite believe the plot line, but it's thanks to you that the second part of this chapter occurred. Thank you SO much for the inspiration!! Because of you, the crappy first draft I had written was tossed in the garbage. You gave me the strength to willingly throw away over 900 words. I hope this chapter somewhat gives you faith that this story won't be -that- bad. ;)

Edited for both you and Shadow!!

* * *

**Chapter Five: Careful Relief**

After touching the envelope once last time, Temari raised her hand and knocked on the door. Memories of months ago resurfaced, thoughts of when she sat on those steps with Shikamaru's warm arms wrapped tightly around her. Things were so peaceful back then...

It took a few seconds for the door to finally be tugged open, but Temari didn't expect what was to come. Instead of looking at Shikamaru's face, she was staring deeply into Yoshino's eyes. Nervously, Temari briefly bit her lip and adverted her eyes.

Shikamaru's mother, though, didn't seem to realize the girl's strange attitude. "Temari! Well, if that isn't a lovely surprise! Are you here on a mission? Did your dear brother give you time off?"

Swallowing hardly, Temari forced her eyes to meet the woman's. Even though Shikamaru often talked badly about his mother, the blonde had always found her to be quite charming. Both were strong-willed kunoichi who knew what they wanted in life. They were almost the same, both Shikamaru's troublesome women. "Actually, no. I'm here on a secret mission, Yoshino. I apologize, I can't give you any more details. Is Sh–"

"Oh, I understand, Temari! After all, I've been a ninja too before I retired!" Yoshino cut in, laughing eagerly. "Would you like to hear some stories? I have tons of them, especially my missions with Shikaku!" Her tone had risen suggestively at the last part of the sentence.

She smiled gently. "Maybe another time. I'm in a bit of a hurry. Would it be possible for me to speak to–"

"You can't leave without having lunch with us? I made the biggest meal earlier and it would be a shame to pass such lovely company!" Yoshino then took a few steps in the hallway, leaving the door open invitingly.

Temari sighed, slightly discouraged. She didn't even dare set a single foot in the home, or else she'd be stuck there for hours. "I really can't, Yoshino, I apologize." Then, she hurriedly added before the woman could add anything more, "Is your son home?"

"My son?" she grinned. "Rather my husband's son! The two are so alike, it's crazy! Never doing their chores, always complaining..."

"Yoshino," Temari cut in, suddenly at the end of the her patience. "Is Shikamaru here? I have to talk to him really quickly before leaving!"

"Actually, he isn't. He's gone on a mission with quite a few people."

The words struck the kunoichi as though she had been slapped across the face. "A mission?"

"Yes," Yoshino nodded. "Come to think of it, it's quite funny. His mission was with Neji, Tenten, Lee, Ino, Chouji, Sakura, and Hinata. It's quite sad that all of your best friends are out of town when you visit."

Her blood froze with anger. "I assume his mission was confidential?"

The woman stared at her inquisitively. "How do you know that? Did he tell you in a letter?"

"Shikamaru couldn't write a letter to save his life," she scoffed as she shook her head. "I really should go, Yoshino. But I promise you that when your son will come back home, the first thing he'll say is that he went on that mission for nothing."

The older kunoichi didn't comment, and said instead, "Would you like me to give him a message instead?"

Temari froze, wondering what to answer. Should she tell him that she love him? That she didn't mean hurting him? But then again, no matter what she'd tell Yoshino, the woman would have questions ready. "No, thank you. I'll... No. Thank you."

As the blonde turned to leave, Yoshino called out, "Come back soon, Temari! If you want a hot meal or a place to stay tonight, don't hesitate to come by!"

After a last wave, the blonde headed to the Hokage tower, her heart heavy.

* * *

"Come in," Tsunade drawled slowly, looking exhausted beyond comparison.

Temari pushed the door open and slid inside, slowly making her way to the desk. She took a second to look out the window at the village, feeling even cheaper than she had before. She was betraying them all... It still felt somewhat unreal, as though it was just a bad dream she was going through. She vaguely heard Tsunade question her, but there was no way she'd be able to do small talk. Not today, and certainly not with these matters in her mind.

"I have something for you, Tsunade-sama," she quietly stated, raising the envelope to show her. Suddenly, though, a feeling of culpability overtook her as she dropped the papers on the desk and took a step back. "I'm so sorry."

Temari knew that she was supposed to run. It was her duty, as a Suna shinobi, to not stay there any longer. But she remained glued in place, her eyes tiredly looking at Tsunade's face as she opened the document.

The older blonde took a few seconds to read through the papers with an excruciating slowness. When she was done, she stared up harshly at her interlocutor. "Why, Temari?"

"I, along with my brothers, didn't have a say in this, Tsunade-sama. I don't want our alliance to be broken as much as you do," Temari said, keeping her voice levelled. "We had no choice; the entire council voted against Gaara in the debate over who would be Kazekage. Because of what happened last year, my brother was accused of putting his own intentions before the village's, which is a serious offence back home. Our new Kazekage is named Fumio, and he–"

"Fumio?" Tsunade suddenly interrupted, her eyes narrowing. She seemed thoughtful for a few seconds, yet Temari refused to push her. Soon, her patience was rewarded. "I received a letter two days ago. It instantly requested the help of a few shinobi on a remote village far away from here. It came from a man named Fumio. He also requested a very specific group."

Temari's suspicions were now confirmed. Wearily, she sank in a chair in front of Tsunade's desk. There wasn't a shred of worry in her mind that Tsunade would report her; she was certain the woman would actually give her a few days to go back home if she desired. "It seems that Fumio isn't as stupid as I assumed him to be..."

Tsunade also sat down, her pretty face twisted. "He knew you'd come here in advance, didn't he? He then sent me a request for all of your bestest friends, so that you couldn't give them any secret messages."

She nodded. "And he didn't want me to see Shikamaru. I assume he was the lead of the group?"

"He was," Tsunade replied, looking furious. "He was supposed to be back in five days' time!" She took a few seconds to ponder, before suddenly locking her eyes with Temari's. "Why don't you stay here, Temari? Fumio would never have to know that you'd be doing this willingly! I'll even pretend we're holding you captive. Of course, I couldn't have you roaming around freely, but you'd be safe out here. I'm certain even Gaara and Kankuro would be secretly happy for you."

Temari leaned back in her chair, her left hand numbly touching her burning forehead. "I just gave you a declaration of war, Tsunade-sama. Why are you offering me such a gift?"

The Hokage stood up and marched to the window, staring outside to calm herself before she'd explose with fury. "Don't give Fumio too much credit. The people he sent away on a mission aren't your only friends. I've known you long enough to gladly take you in without the smallest of doubt that you'd turn against us."

A small smile also made its way to Temari's lips. The offer was definitely tempting. She could see Shikamaru, remain away from all the political whirlwind, and safely wait for the end of the war...

"No," she suddenly said, shaking her head quickly. "I can't accept that."

Tsunade blinked, obviously stunned as she turned around to face her. "May I ask why?"

"Because if I do accept," Temari started as she looked up at the ceiling, "who will talk Fumio out of finishing his plans? Who will make sure that my brothers are safe and respected? I want to stay here, away from everything, but will it help my situation? I'm certain that I can be of some help to Konoha by going back home."

"Good girl," Tsunade replied with a satisfied nod, fully turning around. Her face was a total blank, yet her words were heartfelt. "Sabaku no Temari, I promise that Konoha will never hold any bad judgement against you or your family. I do adore you and your family, Temari, but I despise that new man that's Kazekage. I cannot promise you that I'll remain careless about this: I'll set up watches of the village and spying missions against him. As of now, Fumio could launch attacks on us, I need to prepare my village. Though through all that, I'll do my best to remain on the defense; if I ever choose to attack Suna, it will be only for the interest of your family. If Fumio wants to fight, Konoha will! We'll fight until your brother has his title back!"

Temari nodded, the smile never leaving her face. "Thank you."

The Hokage them crossed the area distancing them and pulled Temari in a hug. Surprised, the girl reluctantly resisted, before falling in the friendly embrace.

When they parted, Tsunade carefully placed her hands on Temari's shoulders as she said, "Walk out of this village with your head high. I consider you one of us, and never will I send any shinobi out against you."

"And I will try my best to keep Fumio in line," Temari swore, her determination returning.

"Good luck," was the last line Tsunade whispered before the Sand kunoichi left the office to return home. As the door closed behind the younger blonde, the other woman crisped her hand into a fist and snarled, "I'll die before you take over my village, Fumio. You will not win this war."

* * *

A/N: Hey people!

This was edited, 27th of Sept.; I tried to turn my characters a bit more IC...

Thanks for reading!  
Take care!


	6. Father Figure

**A/N:  
Last chapter has been edited a bit in order to shove some IC back into Temari and Tsunade. Thanks to the two lovely ladies who were kind enough to point it out, hope that my small modifications made a difference! This chapter's for you both! **

**

* * *

**

Chapter Six: Father Figure

Grudgingly, Temari made her way to the Suna gates. Instead of carrying her bag on her back, she allowed it to drag on the ground, forming a long trail in the miles of sand behind her. It somewhat reminded her of her very first mission, where she had held her heavy fan for hours on end. When they had gone back home, she had allowed it to skim the ground. Then, Kankuro had admonished her, reminding her to leave the least trails possible. A command that she still failed to obey to this day, even if her brother wasn't around to witness. After all, she figured that it was useless to hide her trails, since she knew the desert by heart. She'd have the advantage against any adversary.

Finally, she reached the entrance, but instantly realized that many things had occurred during her trip. It started when she attempted to cross the gates.

Two shinobi dressed in long cloaks jumped down in front of her, their faces hidden by veils.

Temari stared at them slowly. She was exhausted, especially having gone through a rather unsteady roller coaster of emotions over the last mission. Her entire body was heavy, her eyelids were dropping, and she simply desired to go to bed.

"Yes?" she questioned, her tone much harsher than she had desired it to be.

"We want to see your identification proof," one man droned, his voice stifled to conceal his true self.

Temari blinked, already getting aggravated. "First of all, it should be 'proof of identification'. Secondly, what the hell is this? Don't you know who I am?"

The second ANBU spoke up. "You could be an enemy ninja using Sabaku no Temari's appearance. Identification, please."

"What identification?" she snapped angrily, her fingers tightening in a fist.

"Kazekage-sama gave every resident of Suna a new piece of identification. Show us yours!" the first man uninterestedly said.

'_Breathe, Temari... Murdering one of your own wouldn't be a good idea right now...'_ she told herself as she closed her eyes for a brief moment. "I was out, obviously, when Fumio passed those along. If you let me go through, I'll go get it right now."

"We cannot take such a chance, ma'am!" the first ANBU shook his head. "You could be on an assassination mission and–"

Temari lost patience. Angrily, she grabbed the man's collar and brought him a foot off the ground, ready to connect her fist with his stomach. The second man instantly jumped at her, but suddenly everyone was stopped as a fourth shinobi appeared. He stood exactly in the right position; he was able to hold Temari's hand and halt the second man from jumping at her.

"Everyone, back off!" he sighed, shaking his head. "Adult shinobi shouldn't behave like so! What are you all thinking?!"

Had Temari not recognized the voice, the interrupter would've been dead. Backing up, she instantly stomped her foot and snarled, "He won't let me come in my own freaking village, Baki-Sensei!"

Baki shot his ancient student a warning look before turning to the guard. "It's not because she isn't the Kazekage's sister anymore that she stopped being her incessantly violent self. I'll bring her directly to Fumio myself."

The man who had almost lost his life nodded numbly, taking a few steps back. His friend, though, seemed more reluctant.

"But sir!" he shouted. "What if she tries to murder him? He'll be alone and–"

"Nonsense! Don't you have faith in your Kazekage's strength, man?! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Baki snapped, his voice grave as he shook his head.

Temari smirked as both men shot glances at each other nervously, then moved aside to let them pass. Baki placed a pacific hand on her back and nudged her along, instantly taking a quiet route instead of the main one.

Baki stared sternly at everyone who looked their way. Many people's eyes would linger on Temari uneasily, as though unsure of how to take her return. Finally, the man spoke, "Temari, what the hell were you thinking?"

The blonde remained quiet as they walked, lowering her eyes. Her sensei was honestly the only one who could success in chastising her. Her father had always been busy, and her mother had passed away when she had been three. For the next seven years, she had grown with a rowdy brother who'd always get people's attention, with another brother who hid constantly in his room, and a father who couldn't care less about them. She had become accustomed to getting her way with the few servants that worked for her family, but all that had changed with Baki.

He had forced her to get up early, to train hard, and to go to bed late. She was also forced to listen to him and had to restrain her constant tantrums. He had given her structure and true discipline, which had turned him into the most boring man in her eyes. Though over the years, Baki had turned into more than just a sensei. She had soon grown to consider him as a confident, but then as the father figure she had always lacked. When she had come back from her Konohan trip last year, the first person she had told about Shikamaru was Baki.

"You have to stop thinking you're the Queen of Suna, Temari! Your family is already being judged enough as it is!" Baki continued, shaking his head as he ran a hand over the cloth that covered his head.

"But they were being total assholes!" she vociferously shouted, drawing attention from the nearby villagers. "I understand we need security, but there's a limit to everything!"

Baki once again had to place a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Sulkily, she looked at the ground as they kept on walking towards her home.

After a few tense seconds, he suddenly chuckled and said, "Oh, relax a bit, Temari! You're tenser than on the night before your Chuunin exams! Tell me about the mission!"

"I had to deliver the war letter," she mumbled, not really in the mood to socialize anymore. "It wasn't the best mission I ever had to go through, to be perfectly honest with you."

"I assume you spent a few minutes to stop by your lover's home?" the shinobi chuckled.

She stared at him incredulously. The man knew her, sure, but to know her this much? It always felt a bit strange when he was able to say exactly what she sensed, thought, or experienced. "I tried to. He wasn't home."

"Hm, no wonder you considered it a bad mission. Poor little lovesick girl didn't get to see special mister!" Baki smiled lightly, making Temari bristle.

"Stop talking about me like I'm this little kid stuck in a puppy-love!" she roared, stomping a foot. "My feelings for Shikamaru run deeper than that!"

Baki then broke out in laughter, and Temari stuck out her tongue childishly. Then, reluctantly, she smiled. "Truce?"

"Truce," he agreed, reaching over to ruffle her hair. His visible eye sparkled with admiration at the girl whom he loved as much as his own daughter. "Do you think you can make it home alone without chopping the head off of an innocent civilian?"

She sighed and pretended to consider. Finally, she nodded, "I think I can manage. But I'll have to hurry."

"Then go home, get a warm bath, eat a bit, then go to sleep. I'm going directly to the Kazekage tower, so I'll tell Fumio that I personally gave you the evening off. After all, he'd never refuse anything to his beautiful slave!" He ducked hurriedly as Temari hauled her fist in his general direction. "Easy, _Jewel_! You promised not to kill anyone!"

Temari shot her former sensei a dirty glare before huffing indignantly. "You're too troublesome, Baki. I'm not going to stay with you any longer!" As she spoke, she stomped away, her fists clenched.

"Bye miss Nara!" he called back after her, raising a hand in the air as she made her way to back home. When she was out of sigh, he slumped against the nearest building and closed his eyes. _'I wonder how she'll react when she'll get back home...'_

* * *

A/N: Hi people!

I know this is a bit of a short chapter, but I didn't feel like continuing this. POTC 2 is playing on TV and it's kind of holding my attention right now... Jaaack... I can't even write a fic about them in fear that I might not write Jack well... XD Shame, I know...

So the point in this was to introduce Baki and give him some sort of back-story. I'm certain he'll be important later on in the fic... somehow...

Memorable Jack quote that could apply to this situation: "You're not making any sense at all!"

... XD I love him!

Take care!


	7. Emptiness

**Chapter Seven: Emptiness**

It was with obvious hesitation that Temari opened the door of her home. It seemed more... quiet than she had expected it to be. It felt strange and unrealistic. When Fumio had told her that he would 'arrange things' when she would leave, she had figured that he would be finding more ways to make her life miserable. Which was why she was hesitant about entering her home that evening.

She twisted the doorknob slowly, her eyes scanning the area one last time. She had, at the very least, expected an array of guards to be posted around, but she had yet to detect even one.

The gorgeous, pricey decor of the entrance hall welcomed her as she shut the door behind herself. Glancing around, she cautiously called out, "Gaara? Kankuro? I'm back."

Silence was her only reply. The echo of her voice reverberated through the various corridors, eventually ending into nothingness.

Sighing, she headed lazily towards the spiral staircase that led to the second level. As Temari climbed the red carpet-covered steps, she consciously attempted to notice if something was out of place. Another restriction she had expected would be her personnel things. She had wondered whether or not Fumio would confiscate some of her things or smuggle cameras in them, but so far, everything seemed fine and right in their place.

Finally, she arrived at her room. She reached for the knob, her fingers skimming the cool metal briefly. Suddenly, though, she whirled around, hauling a kunai fiercely at the stranger standing a few metres behind her.

He caught it expertly, grinning. He had obviously anticipated such a response. "Hi, Temari!"

"Chokichi, glad to see you're still alive," she disdainfully hissed, shooting him a dirty glare. "I thought that my brothers would've butchered you by now."

"Obviously not," the ANBU scoffed, leaning against the wall. His mask was gone, as was his costume, revealing his true appearance. He had long light brown hair, the tips skimming his strong shoulder blades. His eyes were of a light green shade, and sparkled with mischief. His seemed like a little curious boy trapped into a strong man's frame.

Temari only sighed and turned around, this time twisting the knob. It refused to open, making the blonde frown furiously. Anger began to bubble inside of her, rendering her as taunt as a bursting volcano. "Why the hell is my door locked? Since when does my door _have_ a lock?"

"Since yesterday," Chokichi replied carelessly, shrugging. "We - meaning your brothers, the Kazekage, and I - figured that you might need a curfew as of today. Just to keep you out of trouble. From seven am to–"

A second later, he was shoved against the wall, Temari holding a kunai against his throat. She exhaled loudly, her teeth clasped against each other in a ferocious snarl, before she began gritting, "And you will nicely go see Fumio about that very matter and will instantly be on my side. You will tell him to take that stupid idea back and to shove it–"

A sudden noise of a throat being cleared made the pair whip their heads towards the sound. Gaara and Kankuro stood there, both with slightly interested looks shining through their eyes. Gaara calmly spoke first. "Is something the matter, Temari?"

"Yes, something's the matter!" she yelled, instantly stepping away from the man as she marched to face her brothers. "What is this, Academy days? Still! I didn't even have a curfew back in my pre-Genin days! As if you both had something to do with this! I don't believe it!"

Kankuro's face turned from curious to furious in a second. He shot Chokichi a 'get-out-of-here-if-you-want-to-live' glare, but the man only shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned. He wouldn't be going anywhere soon, so the puppeteer turned back to his sister. "Listen, Temari! We had to haggle over everything concerning our lives. Believe me, you'd be thankful for the curfew if you only knew what we exchanged for it."

She gaped openly at the trio, her rage bubbling inside. "You mean I have absolutely no say over this? It's my life as well, you know!" she raged, before whirling towards Chokichi. As badly as she wanted to just punch him until he couldn't move anymore, she simply ordered, "Open my damn room now!"

He shrugged and placed a thin silver key in the brand-new lock. It clicked instantly and he pulled the key out and slid it back in his pocket before stepping away. A sudden flash of nervousness lit up his eyes as he shot an uncertain look at Kankuro and Gaara. The redhead simply had a blank look upon his face, whereas Kankuro also began to study the wall, the floor, the ceiling...

Temari noticed everyone's strange comportment and the fact that the atmosphere had turned uncomfortable. A sudden knot tightened in her stomach. Hurriedly, she questioned, "What?"

As she received no answer, she suddenly realized that the three were now studying her room. Now nervous, she twisted the knob and ran into her safe haven.

* * *

Fumio chuckled as Chokichi entered. The man was scratched, bleeding, and was half-naked. His breaths were coming out in ragged breaths and he was limping painfully. He marched right up to the desk and leaned against it, trying to regularize his heartbeat. "Tornado hit you, Chokichi?"

The ANBU grumbled angrily, "A tornado called Sabaku no Temari! You should've been there when she entered her freaking room. She went nuts! You really should've been there! Why do I have to endure her hissy fits alone?"

"You weren't alone," Fumio replied, leaning back in the thickly-padded chair. He smiled gleefully as he looked at Chokichi. "Gaara and Kankuro were there with you."

"I think the two are scared shitless of her!" he gasped, touching a bruise on the side of his face. "I mean, you should've seen her face when she opened the door to her room! Not even Shukaku could've faced her then!"

Fumio still appeared utterly uninterested. He began to study a fingernail intently as he nonchalentely asked, "Where is she, now?"

"It's nine pm; she's in her room, just as you required. I still have the key." The ANBU reached in his pocket and produced the piece of metal. He then handed it to the new Kazekage. "I made a copy. Only we have the keys of her room."

Fumio pocketed it with a smirk. "Fabulous! I'm already assuming that Konoha will send their spies. Keep a sharp eye; I have a feeling her friends will try to contact her. I don't want to think of you in a bad light."

His ego smacked, Chokichi looked away. "Don't underestimate me, Kazekage-sama! I will keep the best watch there is!"

"Don't let her boss you around. She's our servant as of now, and I have a feeling she knows it..." he smiled maliciously. "Go get yourself a new uniform, you know where they are. It will be deducted from your next pay, so try not to massacre another one."

The ANBU bristled. "Excuse me? With all due respect, Kazekage-sama, why do I have to pay for the uniform? It's not my fault Temari destroyed it!"

Fumio shrugged and began to play with a random paper on his desk. "But you failed to defend yourself, so it's your fault. Get out of my office, Chokichi, I have other important things to do!" As he spoke, he puffed out his chest importantly.

* * *

Kankuro cautiously approached the door, a grimace lighting his face. He was profiting from the few seconds of freedom he had, until Chokichi would return, to talk to his sister. Carefully, he raised his hand and knocked three times on the door. Silence ensued.

"Hey, Tem..." he cautiously called, touching the doorknob. He tested it lightly, wincing as he found out it was locked. "We really are sorry..."

* * *

Temari was leaning against the door, devoid of any emotion. The initial burst of intense rage had now left her in complete shock. She couldn't believe that her brothers, her own blood siblings, could have done such a cruel thing to her.

"Go away, Kankuro," she replied, her voice heavy.

The voice came back muffled through the thick wood that separated them. "We really tried, Tem. Won't you at least listen to our explanations now?"

Temari sighed lightly, lowering her head. She had denied his last five tries of convincing her to listen to him, but this time, she chose to give in. "Fine, try to appease me, Kankuro. What did you trade in for this?"

Kankuro waited a few seconds before finally explaining. "It was this, or a much crueler sentence. Fumio, under pretense that it was for the village's safety, wanted you to go live with him. We figured you wouldn't like to be alone with that man, and we honestly wanted you to stay here with us."

Temari remained silent for such a long time after the exchange that Kankuro decided to leave. As his footsteps echoed, Temari cracked her eyes opened once more. Her heart sank lightly as she scanned her empty room. All her personal effects, from her bed all the way to her hair pins, had been confiscated and were gone from her bedroom. All that was left was a small futon placed there just for her to sleep and her big dresser. The latter was a family heirloom passed to every first daughter of the family. It was screwed in tightly against the wall with bolts of over a hundred years old. No one, even Fumio, would dare to take the beautiful piece of furniture away.

After her initial shock of seeing the room, she had bursted into a fit of explainable rage. She had yelled and hit as hard as she could, but in the end, she had resolved herself to listen. Now she was sitting in the almost-empty room, her mind heavy. The doors of her balcony were padlocked shut, their curtains also vanished.

Before locking her in, Temari had been allowed to change. She now wore her nightgown, though Chokichi had taken everything else she had on herself at that time.

Afterwards, he had given her the schedule they had made for her, all while explaining that Gaara and Kankuro would have similar curfews, only with half-hour intervals. The only time she could stay up past that time would be if she was in the presence of Chokichi himself. She would be going to bed the earliest, at nine pm, and would get up at seven to cook for everyone else.

Deep down, Temari couldn't wait to get her hands on Fumio. He would suffer for shoving her through such an humiliation.

But there was something else that bothered her. Something that made her forget about all the unfairness of her situation. She assumed that she had been in the room for about an hour now; she would have to move soon. Chokichi would come back and would open her room to make sure she was sleeping. She had to do it now...

Shikamaru had never been a big writer. He had sent her two letters in his lifetime, both which she preciously kept tucked away for moments like this one. Moments where she felt lonely, where she needed to know that he cared for her even though they were hundreds of miles apart.

Finally, she pushed herself up from her sitting position and marched towards the dresser. It was made of old oak wood, preciously carved and then encrusted with dark tinted jewels. There were over twenty drawers, all with a lovely handle. In the middle of the dresser was a beautiful wooden rose pushed in the piece of furniture.

She took her time opening every single drawer halfway, aligning them into the perfect combination. Finally, when she was done, the beautiful rose rattled open a few inches. Hurriedly, Temari reached in the small opening, her heart hammering.

She then sunk against the dresser as a soft moan escaped her lips. Her hand was gripped in a fist, with nothing between her fingers.

* * *

A/N: Hi beloved readers,

No cliffie... This time, anyways... And yes, they did take away the letters, in case the last part didn't make much sense.

I have to inform you of a bad piece of news... Unfortunately, I got my results for the first units in my school, and my current average is approximately 75 percent... Now, as much as it hurts, I also need to fill out millions of demands for scholarships... Lastly I'm honestly struggling to prep the NaNoWriMo event at my school... Then I have fanfiction to balance on top of that. I haven't opened my fictionpress in months either. Usually, I'd just read Eve's things, but now I've been getting requests to read other fics, and it robs me of the time I'd usually spend writing. Now, since I can't ask for people to review mine if I was to deny reviewing theirs, I'll just have to take a bit more time between updates.

I'm not saying I'm giving it up! I'm just warning you that I don't know when future chapters will be written. I really need to focus on my school work, since I absolutely have to hit an average of 90 this year... that's fifteen percent to win... Gosh... Plus those essays...

Thanks for putting up with me! Don't give up!

Take care!


	8. Falling to Pieces

**Chapter Eight: Falling to Pieces**

"Temari, get up!"

The blonde cracked her eyes open, instantly bringing the thin cover up against her chin. "Hmph." She rolled onto her side, once again mumbling something incomprehensible, and she began floating back into dream land. Suddenly, though a bucket of ice cold water fell down onto her, making her scream in the process. She instantly sat up, her eyes blazing as she glared up at the shinobi standing over her.

"Wake up, I said!" Chokichi grumbled with a snicker. "You'd better get used to such a schedule. You might have to live this way for a few years, for all we know! Come, rise!"

It had been the same routine for the last five days. She'd get up, cook, clean, and then do whatever Fumio had requested until bedtime. From filtering letters all the way to licking stamps, he made her do every single disgusting office job there was. It hadn't even been a week and she was already ready to murder everyone who dared even look at her.

"Actually," Chokichi said as he crossed his arms. "Fumio wanted to see you this morning. So cook us some breakfast, clean up, then go see him!"

Temari shot him another dirty glare as she crawled out of her bedding, keeping the sheet over her bare thighs. She had never been one to fuss over modesty, but having Chokichi stare at her legs under her short nightgown somewhat made her uncomfortable.

"I'll get up and dress as soon as you leave my room," she coolly stated, noticing the pile of lightweight fabrics at the foot of her futon. They, thankfully, hadn't been reached by the torrent of water Chokichi had thrown at her.

Chokichi instantly nodded and left her alone, surprising her. The first few days, he had even hinted that he would've liked to stay. A small twinge of thankfulness tugged at her as she crawled out of bed. She shredded her clothing, drying herself with a towel he'd left before finally getting dressed. The clothes consisted of a knee-length black skirt, a lacy pale blue top that hung low on her chest, and a pearl necklace had been placed on top of the pile. She had gotten the clear message he was sending at her: _you're going to talk to the Kazekage, make sure you look good. _

Grudgingly, she adorned the outfit and fixed her hair, then marched downstairs. She ignored the fact that her brothers were both still in her room, and concentrated on the breakfast she had to make before heading out to see Fumio.

--

"Welcome to my office, Jewel," Fumio grinned. He waved a hand towards a cushioned green chair in front of his desk. It was, seemingly, placed there just for her; complete with a small black pillow to boost the comfort level.

"Quit the crap. Why did you want to see me?" she questioned harshly, ignoring the offered chair. She loomed above him, her eyes hard and glassy from lack of sleep. She hadn't even bothered to knock, bursting in just as he was sitting down in his own chair. Back when Gaara had been Kazekage, her brother would've been in his chair working at six in the morning. Fumio seemed to like sleeping, the jerk.

The blond man leaned back in his own chair, kicking his feet up on the desk. He then placed a hand on his heart and held out his other one as he spoke. "I have to admit I'm glad I crossed the distance to come see you, woman. I can't admit I'm head over heels for you just yet, but I can say that maybe I love you. Kinda. Troubleso–"

"Shut up!" Temari suddenly snapped. Blood rushed to her face, tinting her cheeks in a light crimson hue. "Shut the hell up! Who do you think you are going through my personal things like that! You had no business reading that letter; it was mine!"

Fumio only chuckled as he reached for under his chair. When his hand came back up, it was holding two sheets of paper which Temari recognized instantly. Shikamaru's lone two letters. "Jewel, I had to assure myself that they didn't contain anything that could be of any harm to the village. Understand me, please!"

"Well there's nothing in there for you now, so hand them over!" she bit back angrily, outstretching her hand demandingly. Her eyes now held a touch of pain as she took a step forward. A feeling deep down told her that something dreadful would happen very soon.

"Actually, Jewel, I can't," he shrugged carelessly. His eyebrows were lightly raised in a teasing fashion, almost mocking her.

"Why not!?" she barked back, slamming a fist on the desk. "And stop calling me that!"

Fumio brought the letters against his chest, smirking. "I can call you 'my troublesome woman', if you'd prefer..."

Temari's face, which was already tinted with embarrassment, now flamed with sheer fury. Her body began trembling angrily at the only thought of having that sore loser call her Shikamaru's nickname. Simply hearing it coming out of his mouth was enough to make her want to throw up.

"Actually," Fumio said as he watched her, his eyes unblinking, "I think that Shikamaru isn't such a good influence over you. But you're gonna forget about him, right Temari?"

The kunoichi swallowed hardly and forced herself to nod. Her eyes were burning with rage as she said through gritted teeth, "Yes, I will."

He nodded, another smirk surfacing. "Good. Then you don't need those anymore."

Then, before she could do anything to stop him, he placed both of his hands on top of the letters. In one fluid motion, he tore the sheets in two, and then in four, and continued until there were only shreds of papers left of it. He then opened his fists and a shower of confetti tumbled from his fingers, littering his desk and the floor.

Temari's face held notes of disappointment from the depth of her very soul. Her shoulders fell lightly, her mouth falling open. Her head was now pounding and a sharp pain was gnawing in her chest. She suddenly felt an urgent need to reach over for the fallen shreds, to pick them up and bring them back home. Her glazed eyes lowered uneasily as she struggled mentally to keep her emotions under control. There was more grief present in her than anger; the pain of loss was engulfing the burst of rage that she could have felt.

"Now that I have your attention," Fumio started as she slumped down on the chair, "I want to tell you a piece of information."

Still in shock, she nodded numbly, her eyes still rivetted on her torn love letters.

"We already caught a spy hanging around the border of our village. Pathetic fool tried to run through the desert! Suna does have the best position! We can see anyone in miles of sand, they can't really go far before we override them!" Fumio bragged, brushing a few shreds of paper from his desk. A mesh of dirty blond hair fell over his face, which he brushed back with a childish grin. "I figured it would be a very good idea if you witnessed his interrogation."

"Why?" she finally managed to croak out. "Do I know him?"

"I doubt you do. But I figured it would be a good thing for you. It would prove that you are on our side. Are you willing to come, Jewel?"

Temari watched him glumly as he stood up. "Fine. When is it?"

"Right now," he replied, his eyes gleaming. He walked around his desk, the deep red robes he wore floating around his body. The infantile look never lost his features as he made his way to the door, then held it open for her. "Coming?"

The blonde also got to her feet, reluctantly ready to follow him. There was a sudden thing that held her attention though. Reaching over, she snatched between her fingers a single piece of her letters, then closed her fist over it. She then turned back to face Fumio and walked right past him, holding her head high. Her eyes were cold, emotionless, even when he began trailing her closely. He even stretched his luck by slipping an arm around her shoulders, teasingly saying it was to lead her since she seemed bothered by something. She didn't shake him away.

During their walk, though, Temari opened her fist and lowered her eyes, keeping the paper in Fumio's blind spot. A small smile made its way to her heart as the words scribbled in the familiar handwriting jumped at her.

'Love, S'

* * *

A/N: Psh, how cliché. But freakishly adorable.

So I had the day off yesterday. Mom told me she'd motivate my Writer's Craft course if I did all the laundry and dishes... Plus I have tons of homework... Which I should have done... XP You guys are a bad influence on me!

But I do have to admit... I got two test results wednesday. I got an 81 in Networking, and a 84 in Writer's Craft. Slowly climbing up the grade ladder again...

Thanks for everyone's encouragements and for the reviews!

Take care!


	9. IIR

**Warning: This chapter contains scenes of torture. This is rated T for a reason. I honestly recommend skipping this chapter if you are under thirteen. If you truly want to know what it's about and you're under the age I requested, PM me. I will gladly tell you what occurred in the chapter. Thank you!**

* * *

Chapter Nine: IIR

Temari had never entered the, as Fumio called it, Intensive Interrogation Room. Her grandfather had been the one to build it, though the only Kazekage to use it had been her father.

Gaara had, in his first week as Suna's leader, barred the room with heavy padlocks. She'd always remember his words when he had hidden the keys in the safe of their home: "As long as I am Kazekage, no one will ever enter this forsaken room. It is Hell trapped within four walls."

That afternoon, Temari entered Hell.

They first went down approximately a hundred steps. The more they'd go down, the less light there was; by the time they both reached their destination, the darkness was almost total.

"Just keep going straight, Jewel," Fumio said as they marched down the dark corridor. "You'll get to the door very soon."

The blonde kunoichi kept on walking. Even though she could vaguely see the moves of shadows in front of her and Fumio's hand, pressed in the middle of her back, was guiding her, she was still unsure of her next footstep. Gingerly, she reached in front of her in order to stop herself were she to miss the door. As her hand moved from her side to her front, her skin brushed the wall besides her. It was covered with a wet, slimy substance that betrayed the age of this corridor.

Finally, her palm touched the thick wood, the same door that Gaara had fought to have padlocked. Earlier that day, Fumio had destroyed her brother's efforts by getting rid of the security, resulting in a true gate of Hell.

Slowly, Temari pushed open the massive oak door and stepped in. Her throat caught painfully as she took a slow, torturous look around; the room was even worse than she had imagined.

"So!" Fumio grinned as he stopped besides her. He once again wrapped his arm around her, proudly puffing out his chest. "What do you think?"

She whirled around to face him, simultaneously knocking off his arm. "This isn't an interrogation room; it's a freaking torture chamber, Fumio!"

"Same thing!" he shrugged, looking around the area with a sudden bored stare.

Temari also turned around, forcing herself to study what she was seeing. Various cupboards adorned the large dark room, probably filled with weapons of various kinds. A large furnace, with its door opened to reveal a lake of coals, was sprouting a suffocating wave of heat through the room; Temari could already feel small beads of perspiration breaking out on her forehead. But what really caught her attention, though, were the two long strings of chains hanging from the ceiling, with handcuffs about eight feet from the ground.

Bile rose in her mouth as she realized that the dark form hanging from the handcuffs was moving. It was human.

It was a Leaf shinobi.

Fumio guided her until they were approximately ten feet from him. The Kazekage snapped his fingers and two bright lights snapped on. The spotlights were directly over Temari and Fumio, blinding the man so he couldn't see them.

But now, Temari could study him. Part of her desired to turn around and head away back home, to shield herself from the monstrosity she was witnessing. During her missions, she had no problems brutally killing if it meant she would gain something. As long as it could be of any benefit for her work as a kunoichi, she would do pretty much anything. She'd slaughtered to save her skin, laughed when they cried for mercy, taunted opponents who were millions of times stronger than she was... All that, and she'd sleep like a baby at night.

But she still couldn't help feeling appalled by how the man in front of her was treated. He was dangling from his arms, his feet barely touching the cement floor. He had been stripped down to mere dirty brown shorts, his skin slick with sweat. His head was ducked and his eyes were shut; the only parts of him who were moving were his heaving chest and his slightly quivering lips.

After the initial shock had somewhat faded, Temari started studying the man as a person. He had short black hair and strong features; he seemed to be in his late twenties. She had never seen him before.

One thing that jumped out at her, though, was what Fumio called the "Outsider's Mark". Everyone they'd catch from Konoha would have to be branded. On the inside of their wrists, the insignia of the Leaf village would be burnt into their skin. The man had already been branded, the red marks contrasting with the brilliant light he was being flooded with.

"Man," Fumio starting, lowering the octaves of his voice to sound regal. "What is your name?"

The man remained silent and unmoving.

"See, Jewel, sometimes when people act this way, you need a little bit of prodding." As he spoke, he snapped his fingers. A third man entered the room, this time dressed in heavy clothing that hid his identity. In his hands was a long leather whip.

As Fumio nodded slightly, the torturer's whip went down upon the man's bare back. His face contorted with pain and his body moved slightly, reacting to the violent outburst of the whip upon his back. Fumio told the torturer to hit again, and the man obeyed.

"So, now will you tell us your name?" Fumio taunted, crossing his arms. Temari could, from her point of view, detect Fumio's dirty smile. He was enjoying it, and it showed.

The man kept his head down, yet still managed to speak clearly enough to be understood. "You don't want me to talk, believe me."

"Oh, we do," Fumio retorted. "Right Jewel?"

Temari glared heatedly at the Kazekage and turned her attention back to the man in front of them.

"I will not tell you my name," he declared coldly, obviously readying himself for some more intensive beating. "I will not betray my village, no matter how badly you whip me."

"You threaten me, boy? Child, if you only knew who you were addressing. You are facing the two most influential people in Suna; I would suggest you behave slightly better than that!"

The man snickered after the whip had gone down on his back a few more times. His voice was quivering slightly, yet he still didn't raise his head. "If you think that you impress me, you're wrong. We're both men, but we're only separated by our titles. I don't care if you and your little whore are important here in Suna! I personally answer to Tsunade-sama, Hokage of the Leaf village, and no one else!"

"Increase the pain," Fumio told the man with the whip. "He has no right insulting me and my Jewel like so! Make sure he regrets it!"

He nodded, and the blows began raining down again. Eventually, blood began dripping on the floor, marring the hot stones under his feet. Temari watched the drops falling, counting them numbly. Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one...

Eventually, the Leaf shinobi began to sway on his feet. Numbly, after approximately half an hour of constant whipping, his body went limp and he stopped moving. Only then did Fumio tell the torturer to stop. Reluctantly, the Sand Jounin took a few steps back and observed his work.

"He should be done," Fumio gleefully stated. "Let's turn this into another session tomorrow!" He snapped his fingers and the two burning lights faded from the man's body. The entire area was lit with the smallest of light, just enough so that they could see across the room. Fumio turned back to Temari once the torturer had begun cleaning his weapon. "What did you think, Jewel?"

Temari was utterly disgusted by the procedure, and chose not to hide it from him. "That was the most untactful display of interrogation I have ever witnessed. I understand we're shinobi, Fumio, but we can't go around and whip people until they're unconscious all the time!"

Fumio was about to reply when the man's head had brutally shot up, as he stared blindly in front of him. "Sabaku no Temari... I recognize your voice..."

Bristling, Temari took a step back. Half surprised and half, worried, she quietly, "How do you know me?"

"How could I forget," he panted, "such a lovely voice?"

He was obviously suffering from the pain in his back, his breaths coming out ragged and uneven. His eyes, which Temari could now see were dark blue, kept rolling around as he tried to focus them on the oldest Sabaku member.

"You little brat!" Fumio yelled angrily, waving a hand in the air. "You weren't unconscious at all; you were faking!"

"Smart deduction, loser," the man snapped back, but once again turned his attention to the woman. "Temari... What are you doing, turning yourself on the side of such a man?"

Temari squinted; she now had a better look upon his face, though she still couldn't see who he was. Lamely, she pried, "I don't recognize you... I'm sorry..."

The man scoffed, "And I can't even tell you, or else that asshole you have with you will use it against me. Oh, Temari, don't let yourself be fooled by that man! Is that really what Yoshino and Shikaku would want you to be? That couple adores you; would you really throw their trust away for that fake Kazekage?"

Now the kunoichi's face had drained. Nervously, she took a few steps forward until she was face-to-face with the man. He stared at her sullenly, his eyes bloodshot. He took one look at her revealing clothes before his face turned hard and careless. Angrily, he spat against the floor, saliva still clinging to his lips as he hissed, "You're not freaking worthy that I'm talking to you. You should look at yourself!"

"Jewel," Fumio put in from behind her. "He is obviously giving you a choice: Konoha or Suna. He's making you feel guilty! Come back here and show him that you have no intention of listening to his pointless chatter."

As Temari took a few steps back, she noticed the torturer had placed himself directly behind the man. The whip was in his hands, ready to be used. Instead of looking at Fumio for an indication, though, he was staring directly at Temari. He wanted her to make the call.

"No," she finally whispered, shaking her head as her face fell. She had felt brittle earlier upon entering the room, had felt ready to break when the man had been whipped... but now the man knew her... He knew her name and he knew Shikamaru's parents...

Tears were flooding her eyes and she was unable to speak clearly. She kept on shaking her head, the monstrosity of what she was about to do engulfing her. "You can't be serious, Fumio!"

"Which side are you on, Temari?" he replied, slipping an arm around her. He drew her close to him even though she stiffly attempted to push him away. "I want you to give out the order."

The man kept staring directly at her, his eyes wild. "Yeah, come on, Temari! Order to have me killed. Show us all how much of a monster you are! I hit it right on earlier when I called you a whore! I'm certain that Shikamaru wouldn't enjoy the knowledge that you're sleeping with the new Kazekage. Nothing to boost your rank, right, _Jewel_!"

"Whip him," she suddenly snapped out. _'Anything to make him stop talking...' _

As soon as she had said the words, the torturer's whip descended upon the man mercilessly. He went on and on until the man was truly unconscious, even breaching the limits of taking out a knife to stab him a few times to ensure his condition.

But when Fumio declared, with a careless tone to his voice, that the man was dead, it was too much for the kunoichi. She turned on her heels and ran out of the building, tears rolling down her pretty face.

'_I have killed an ally...'_

* * *

A/N: Hi everyone!

Longer chappie, woot!

Before you all rant about how you just hated the chapter, know that it was necessary. I kind of needed to "break" Temari up a bit for the next chapters to have an impact. I actually liked writing it, even though I had to force myself to write down that Temari would murder a man... x.x Somehow, it's easy when they're just faceless Ocs... But I liked that guy...

Don't give up on me! I will bring Shikamaru into this story soon! Actually, if I get... five reviews who have at least five points commenting on this chapter, I'll put a chapter -or part of one- in his point of view somewhere in the next five chapters (it's the five party, woo hoo)!

Ooh, bribing reviewers... Gotta love it...

Take care!


	10. Juicy Gossip

**Chapter Ten: Juicy Gossip**

It was well past her curfew, but she couldn't care any less. Stars were littering the sky, contrasting with her stormy interior. Her heart ached painfully as she leaned against her favourite rock.

Yes, her favourite _rock_. Suna didn't have lush forests, so one of the first Kazekages had decided to put up a rock garden. Standing exactly a kilometre square, the rock garden consisted of thousands of, as expected, rocks. From tiny pebbles all the way to slabs of metres tall, there were some for all tastes.

Temari was now huddled against the tallest one there was. A huge crack had eroded itself into it over the years and she had taken comfort in crawling into it, enjoying the solitude and darkness. She cracked her eyes open and brushed her dry cheeks, considering it was a miracle that every emotion had ridden from her soul.

She kept on staring at the opening until two boots blocked her way. Then the boots morphed into knees, before a set of eyes were staring inquisitively at her.

"Go away," she childishly whimpered, hugging her knees. "I'm not going back home."

"Aw, come on," the man chuckled teasingly. "I've heard you say this millions of times. But I will admit that the last time I did hear it was back to when you were twelve." He then proceeded to lean against the rock besides the opening and stretched his legs out of him.

"Do you know why I'm here?" she asked, still refusing to come out of her hiding place.

Baki sighed. He ran a tired hand over his forehead in exasperation before answering. "I heard. Word got to Gaara, once the search party had reached your home. He asked me if I might know where you went off to."

"Search party?" she groaned, leaning against the smooth rock. "Fumio actually went that far?"

"Yup. He told approximately fifty Genin that if they found you, they'd be promoted to Chuunin. That's exactly what Suna needs: clueless Chuunins walking around thinking they're kings of the city!"

She smiled weakly at her Sensei's antics, but still didn't relent.

"And I knew that this was your favourite place to hide as a child. Old habits never cease to emerge, don't they?" Baki turned around to look at her, his face serious. "Honestly, Temari, you need to go back home. Gaara and Kankuro are worried about you and Chokichi is ready to lock them in their room. They'll burst if they have to go to bed not knowing where you are."

"I hate Fumio. I don't want to have anything to do with him. I am not going back home," she stated coldly.

"Temari..." Baki groaned, suddenly fully turning to face her. "Stop being such a little brat, please! These are hard times for everyone! Your brothers spend their days scrubbing floors and washing clothes and dishes. They're going through just as much as you, but they don't whine about it!"

Chastised, Temari hugged her knees tightly. "But Baki, he made me kill someone and he ripped Shikamaru's letters!"

"So this is what it's about," the shinobi thoughtfully replied. "Shikamaru."

The blonde lowered her head and shrugged. Reluctantly, she mumbled, "I miss him. A lot."

"I know, Temari, but for now you need to focus on the task at hand. If I were you, I'd stand Fumio's demands for a while longer. The more you do what he says, the more he will start to trust you. Shikamaru isn't exempted from Tsunade's spying missions; he could even volunteer for them if it means getting a chance to see you. If he gets caught, you might be able to negotiate with Fumio if he trusts you." He smiled at her despairing expression. "Be strong, my girl. Or do we have to do it the old way?"

She broke into a sad smile. "The old way would be nice."

Baki stood up and waited a few seconds. She slowly crawled out of her hiding place and stood up besides him before crossing her arms. The air was chilly and fresh; the sky was littered with stars and was a perfectly romantic time. She would've loved to have her boyfriend with her that night.

Her former sensei then placed a hand over her shoulder. "I already took that into consideration. I have a little gift for you, but it's in your bedroom at home."

Temari scoffed as she thought of her small bedroom. "No luck there, Chokichi will have confiscated it a long time ago!"

"Don't worry about that. I actually had a personal note from Fumio stating that he couldn't touch your gift. He then signed a contract mentioning that he couldn't take anything out of the room without my consent," Baki replied proudly, smiling down at her. "Now, will you go back home and get your surprise?"

Temari smiled also. She slightly felt like a little girl again, back when he promised her treats if she completed a mission without bossing anyone around, but it felt good anyways. During these days, life had been so easy and carefree...

So it was with a lighted heart that she headed back home.

* * *

She entered her home anxiously, with wonders of Baki's surprises flittering through her mind. He hadn't played that little game with her for years, so she expected something insignificant. She expected anything but what she really got.

The second she opened her door, her heart missed a few beats.

The small futon was gone, replaced with a king-sized bed with dark green covers and pillows. A few of her portraits had found their way back upon their wall, along with the plush turquoise-coloured carpet that decorated a side of her room.

She crossed her bedroom rapidly and broke into a joyful smile when she opened the drawers of her massive and intricately carved dresser. Every single piece of her clothes had been put back carefully, along with a few new things. She ran a hand lovingly over a soft cashmere jacket she could wear when autumn would come. It would fit perfectly with other pieces in her wardrobe.

A breeze brushed a strand of her blond bangs from behind her ear. Frowning slightly, she brushed it back from her forehead before straightening. Anxiously, she turned around; the breeze couldn't have come anywhere but from the balcony...

"Kami..." she whispered with unbelief as her eyes fell over Baki's final surprise. Without taking the time to close the drawers, she headed towards the other side of the room. Slowly, she touched the new silky white curtains upon the two new French doors, marvelling at their beauty. Those were not cheap at all; even she had steadfastly refused to buy the expensive set of door and curtains.

She then crossed the doorframe and stepped out onto the balcony. The wave of cool air blew past her hair, making her smile softly. She then leaned her forearms over the edge of the balcony and scanned the city with a studying eye. It had been so long that she hadn't stepped out here that she had forgotten the stunning view it procured her. From her point up, she could see the skyline over the wall bordering the village, and millions of stars poked out from the midnight shade. Even though her home was situated rather far from the rest of the houses, she could see the various plays of light and shadow through the opened and closed windows, turning the scenery into a beautiful creation.

Somewhat contented, Temari kept staring into the distance, letting her mind wander lazily. Seconds later, though, she heard a soft sound behind her, the noise of a man clearing his throat. Slowly, she turned around and stared at Chokichi. He didn't chide her or even admonish her; he simply walked to the railway and also leaned against it.

"Do you like the new room?" he questioned after a few seconds of silence.

She suspiciously stared at him, yet soon figured that he was serious. She also allowed herself to gaze back at the village, but kept her guard up as she spoke. "Yes, Baki did a good job."

"That's good; I had a feeling you would like it," he grinned softly. "After all, no one likes to be cooped up in an empty room all the time. I figured you wouldn't be an exception."

Suddenly, she asked rudely, "Why are you talking to me?"

Chokichi answered right away, as though he had anticipated such a question. "For now, Temari, you're the lesser of two evils. I also figured that if we were to live in the same home for a while, we might as well be able to talk sometimes."

She snorted. "If you're trying to get information out of me to give to Fumio, then you'll wait a long time."

"Or," he shrugged as a small smile tugged the corners of his lips, "I could do the exact opposite and reveal gossip to you."

She blinked and stared at him, moving her body so that her side would be leaning against the rail. She could barely see his face through the dim lighting, but he seemed dead honest.

"Like I can tell you why Fumio has such a vendetta against your family."

"You interest me, go on," she prompted, a small smile working its way up.

He sighed and waited a few seconds, slightly hesitating. It took a few annoyed clearing of throats from Temari to get him started. "You may not like what I'm about to tell you, Temari, but I'll say it anyways. Fumio is actually a Chuunin, believe it or not. He chose not to participate in the Jounin exams since both of his Genin teammates never made it."

Temari wrinkled her nose with disgust. _'Our Kazekage is a Chuunin...' _

"The woman on his team married very young and chose not to pursue her kunoichi career. The guy was somewhat of an..." He then hesitated, then exhaled loudly and continued, "We could say, if we consider you know Konoha a lot, that he was an Uchiha Sasuke. Pretty face and popular with all the ladies, and he good potential; but he didn't know what to do with it. Instead of pursuing his career, he chose to act like an utter loser and got his way by hitting on other woman. Rumours circulate that he passed his Chuunin entrance exam by flirting with women..." He stopped as horror began to seep into her face. "I'm giving you one guess."

"Oh goodness..." she groaned, shutting her eyes. "You mean that Fumio and Mitsuo were teammates?"

"Unfortunately. Fumio chose to pursue politics and Mitsuo was left all alone in the shinobi world. So he did what he did best: he flirted with women to get by. Now, I don't know if you realize this, but most Genin teams have two boys. No matter what, those two boys will end up best friends; how they show their friendship is unique to all pairs. Fumio and Mitsuo chose the distant approach. They would almost never talk directly to each other, but still kept a mutual respect. Therefore, you can imagine what Fumio must've felt when Mitsuo passed away."

She huffed as she shook her head. "No wonder he hates our guts. Or rather, he hates Gaara's guts."

Chokichi nodded with a sigh, yet didn't continue on with the conversation. They fell in a comfortable silence before Temari asked, "Why did you tell me all this?"

He smirked lightly. "Well first of all, I'm pissed off at Fumio. He blocked my pay for a week because you ran away from him. So since it's utterly irreverent, I decided to piss him off as well." Then he sighed loudly in a dreamy fashion and said, "But I should thank him. After all, every male would kill to take my position."

"As long as you're not one of these pesky fanboys..." She groaned at the mere word, but then stiffened as he awkwardly looked away. "You've got to be kidding me!"

He chuckled as he brushed his long sandy brown hair back. "I restrained myself. I did send you flowers on your sixteenth birthday, but wrote 'anonymous' on the accompanying card."

She moaned and took a light step away from him as she exclaimed, "You mean I've been living - and will live in the future- with one of my fanboys?"

"Hey, don't be offended!" he chuckled. "I actually have a girlfriend. She's on a spying mission in Konoha right now. I'm planning on asking her to marry me soon."

She raised a light eyebrow. "So you mean, you were hitting on me for days with a girlfriend gone out? Isn't that just a bit hypocritical?"

His shoulders raised just a bit. "Had to be a jerk, or else you might've fallen for me."

She instantly glared at him. "Get lost!"

"I shall!" He took a few steps back. "Two things. First, there are sensors on the entire balcony, so as soon as you step out, I will know. Second, I still have to lock you in, unfortunately. So as of now, I wish you a good night!" With a bow, he mockingly smirked before retreating.

Temari soon heard the familiar click of the lock behind her and thought with a smile, _'What a weird jerk...' _

Suddenly tired, she walked right up to her comfortable-looking bed. Without even bothering to slip on pajamas, she snuggled deep within the covers. The warmth of the sheet were perfect in contrast to the cool desert night wind which seeped from her window.

But before sleep overtook her, a nasty thought crossed her mind. _'Gaara and Kankuro traded my things for my freedom... Therefore, Baki must've traded his freedom for those objects...'_

Suddenly plagued by constant worries, she tossed and turned through the entire night, unable to fully surrender to sleep's sweet surrender.

* * *

A/N: Late update, I know. But this chapter was written and ready over a week ago, yet I never would've had the time to answer reviews had I posted them then. Sorry for the wait!

Tomorrow, I have a day off, so I'll read every review you give me and I'll review all the stories that await!

Lastly, if some people scratched their heads at who Mitsuo was, well I suggest to go reread The Not So Troublesome Woman to refresh your memory.

Take care!


	11. First News

**Chapter Eleven: First News**

Three long weeks had gone by. Long and torturous hours of dirty jobs.

It was nine am when she finished scrubbing the floor of Fumio's resting cubicle. Slowly, she stood up and stretched, her back aching miserably. Wordlessly, she gathered the various rags she had used up and marched to the garbage can before returning to the bucket. She picked it up, careful to keep the soapy water from spilling onto the mirroring floor. She would scrub it every single day- it was getting much too redundant for the kunoichi to handle.

Once again with an infinite slowness, Temari made her way to the top of the winding staircase. Her ankles were burning from cramping, but she suffered through them everyday.

Fumio hadn't spoken to her about the event with the Konoha shinobi, and she also avoided the subject. He would sometimes comment on Suna's progress about the war, yet failed to mention anything about Konoha when she was present. It infuriated her to know that he was willingly keeping that information from her when she desired to know them.

Though as Baki had said; she had to suck it up.

She made her way across the building to the cleaning supply area. The blonde opened the door of the closet and shoved the supplies inside, knowing the janitor would put them away. He was such a clean freak, but Fumio obviously preferred to have her leaned over to scrub floors rather than him.

She then made her way to, and stormed in Fumio's office without even knocking. As soon as she saw that he wasn't inside, she snickered softly. _'How in the world can he be so stupid?'_ she thought. _'Even I wouldn't be so unintelligent as to leave my office unlocked all the time. Especially when I'm not there.'_

Taking her sweet time to make her way to his desk, she noticed a pile of papers all stacked neatly on his desk. Strange, since Fumio was far from being a clean man. He was the kind who'd make her clean them up, which also meant that it was someone else who had brought them here.

Curiosity won her over.

Hurriedly, she made her way behind his desk. She glanced at the closed door once before reaching over for the pile. Her eyes fell down on the clear bout of writing and her heart caught in her throat when the title registered in her mind.

"Konohagakure - Jounin Taken into Custody - Official List"

Her heart began to race despite her stony expression. She took one last hurried glance towards the door before turning the cover page. She winced lightly as she realized that the names weren't alphabetized, but rather sorted out by dates of their capture.

Her eyes fell to the bottom of the page, refusing to look at the very first name on top of the list. Frankly, she didn't want to know the name of the man she helped in killing. She kept on scanning the names, turning the pages every time her eyes would fall off the end of the paper. The pages succeeded one after the other without anything of interest to her until her eyes jammed on a name. The corners of her mouth dipped lightly as she reached towards the name, scanning her fingers over the black ink.

'Tenten - Last name unknown. Found inside the walls of the city, sneaking around the Kazekage's home.'

Tenten, her best female friend from Konoha, had been captured on, she presumed, an assassination mission. The fact that her condition was unknown to the kunoichi made it twice as hard to take. The man's face in the IIR, before dying, replayed in her mind as she suddenly imagined Konoha's weapon mistress in his place. With a sinking heart, Temari tore her eyes from her name.

It didn't surprise the oldest Sabaku sibling to find Hyuuga Neji's name, the date corresponding to exactly a week after Tenten's capture. He had been found also inside the gates, erring stealthily through the village's alleys, probably in search of his lover.

The names fell over her vision as she continued to hurriedly scan them. She had to know if he was there...

Suddenly, though, the door of the office was cracked open.

* * *

Fumio entered his office. The satisfying sense he'd get when he'd step in his personal office never decreased over the days. He loved being in power.

He shot a look around, barely noticing the closet door, who was slightly ajar. Flopping down on his desk, he looked up at Chokichi, who was standing on the other side of the desk, looking slightly wary. The ANBU shifted on his feet, his eyes darkening with impatience as he waited for Fumio to talk.

"Well, as I was telling you on our way here, I have some news concerning Konoha that you should be aware of," Fumio drawled importantly.

"Just tell me, Kazekage-sama,"Chokichi groaned, shifting his weight from one side to another.

Fumio then actually hesitated. He waited a few seconds, then shrugged as his expression returned careless. "I don't know how to say it, really, so I'll just say it out I guess."

"Anytime now," Chokichi prompted.

Fumio shrugged again and carelessly said, "Your girlfriend is dead. Her teammate escaped, though she witnessed her death."

Time seemed to halt. Chokichi's face turned from impatience, to unbelief, to utter heartbreak. "... What? She's... dead?"

"Konoha shinobi killed her. It shows how they're chipmunks." Fumio chuckled lightly. "Chimpmunks. They live in a forest. Get it?"

But Chokichi whirled around. He swallowed painfully as tears spilled from his eyes. Pure hatred marred his face as he stormed out of the room, utterly disrespecting every rule concerning politeness with the Kazekage.

As the door slammed behind him, Fumio scoffed. "What a baby..." After speaking, he exited the room also, leaving a shocked Temari alone in the stuffed closet.

* * *

Swallowing hard, Baki pushed the door open and stepped inside. His eyes ached painfully from lack of sleep. He had been riding from 6am to midnight every single cursed day without pay; he was busy making kunai with the few people who also owed their new Kazekage a favour. But finally, his three weeks were over. Surely the soulless man would leave him be now.

Fumio was busy reading the day's newspaper despite the late hour, the sheets lazily resting on his thighs while his feet were propped up on his desk. He barely looked up when Baki positioned himself directly in front of the desk, silent as he awaited the man to speak first.

"Yes?" Fumio simply asked.

Baki bowed deeply. He kept the pose a while, biting his tongue to keep himself from lashing out, before standing up straight. "I have completed the three weeks you've required, Kazekage-sama. You have of no more use of me, so I come to request to be freed from any obligations."

Fumio flipped a page, read something, then giggled lightly. After reading some more, he looked up at Baki and said, "Actually, I do need you for another few nights."

"Nights?" the shinobi questioned, narrowing his eyes. The nightly jobs were rare these days...

"Yes, and you know which job I want you in..." Fumio trailed off. "Actually, you should go there today. Right now, even if you're tired. I need you to replace a good friend of mine. He's been working for five hours, he should get a break! You will go there and do the usual rounds, make sure everyone is sleeping and isn't causing any trouble..."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama..." Baki nodded, bowing again. He remained in position, letting the seconds drag by slowly.

Fumio then began to read again, and it was only when ten minutes had passed that he looked up. "Oh, did I have to dismiss you? I'm so sorry. Get out." He then chuckled.

He obeyed.

* * *

Baki slowly marched in the building. He wrinkled his nose lightly and brought a hand up to his lips as he coughed deeply. There was dust everywhere and it even saturated the air, mixing in anyone's lungs the minute they'd inhale. He took in another short breath, this time managing to keep it inside, and made his way down to his appointed place.

He soon met the guard he was supposed to relieve. Nodding at him, they hurriedly exchanged places. The man handed him a large set of keys and said in a grave voice, "Keep them with your life..."

"I will," Baki nodded. "When will I be relieved?"

"Tomorrow morning, I guess," the man shrugged. He shot Baki a distasteful look before heading out of the building.

* * *

A/N: Hey readers!

Nothing like your very own author who's sick because of the evening before! No, no alcohol involved, but I have a life lesson for you all. Don't ever eat McDonald's fries and an Ice Cap at midnight... It doesn't give you a good night's sleep. Last time I felt this nauseous, I spent three days sleeping besides the bathroom. x.x Glory, I sense that my weekend will be amazing.

So, today I felt like switching P.O.V.s... You were all probably so freaking sick of Temari anyways... XP But... Poor Baki though... x.x the first part of chapter twelve will explain what he's doing.

This chapter was longer than expected. Also, I promised to have some Shikamaru in this chapter... But I may be forgiven if I promise you all that most of next one will be in Shikamaru's point of view!

Thanks for reading!

Take care!


	12. Midnight Encounter

**A/N: Just a warning: uber long chapter of doom. XD ****Come on, almost 3000 words. Honestly, I'm telling you guys not to start reading unless you have the time to do so. Or else you might get ****cut off in the middle and be pissed, because it is a very action-packed chapter! **

**So here you do, dedicated to every other ShikaTema fan out there!**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Midnight Rendezvous **

Tiredly, Baki sunk down on a dusty chair in the gloomy building and looked at the long and narrow corridor stretching out in front of him. It was dark and terrorizing, with the sounds of dozens of shinobi grunting or gasping for breath as they attempted to sleep. He could also hear, in the distance, the broken sobs of a woman trying to stifle her tears. This place seeped out an aura of depression and torture, one that would surely haunt him for years.

He waited a few minutes, familiarizing himself with the feel of the place. He glanced at the clock lifelessly, noticing it was almost one in the morning. He stifled an annoying yawn before standing up, deciding to do a round right away.

He picked up the oil lamp and began walking, reaching every inmate of Suna's main jail with the beam of light to ensure they were sleeping. A few stared back at him with either stricken or fearful eyes, some even daring to crawl close to the rails to beg for food. Baki had to turn his head when this would happen; he had to struggle mentally to keep himself from unlocking every single door and dragging the poor shinobi home with him.

Minutes later, he raised his lamp to plunge it into a cell. Strangely, though, the light seemed to have no effect- the room remained entirely dark. Frowning, Baki continued to shine the light in various directions, to no effect. He was about to move on when he suddenly got an insight as to what was happening.

Slowly, he lowered the lamp to the floor. Even though he was breaking a very important rule, he made his way to the iron gates and peered inside. "Hello?"

The person didn't reply.

Stubbornly, Baki smiled. He knew exactly what was happening, which was to his advantage. Yet the implications of this knowledge suddenly weighted upon his heart as he hesitantly took another step back. He tried to decipher the face within the shadows, yet couldn't make anything out of the smothering darkness.

After a while, he sighed and pressed his palm against the cool metal. Finally, after more reluctant thoughts, he spoke out indecisively. "Nara Shikamaru?"

A few seconds spilt by, before the shadows seemed to lessen. Baki brought the lamp up again and finally managed to settle his gaze on the boy.

He was dishevelled and appeared starved and tired. He slowly raised his dull eyes to stare at Baki through locks of dirty brown hair. After a moment of unrecognition, he finally said quietly, "Baki-sensei?"

"Shikamaru," the man replied, motioning him to come closer. He waited until the younger man had obeyed to keep on speaking. "What happened?"

The konoha shinobi made a tired face. "They caught me sneaking around." He then waited a few seconds before crawling even closer. His eyes suddenly glistened with concern as he asked, "How's Temari?"

Baki's expression turned comforting as he looked down at the man. He had surely been tortured, starved, interrogated, and yet the first thing that came out of his mouth was an inquiry about Temari's well-being. "She's doing fine, don't worry about her. She keeps talking about you, though. How about you?"

"I can't stop thinking about her," he hurriedly admitted, grasping the iron barrier. He nervously peered around as the person on the cage to his left growled. "I've been here for three weeks, sensei, and I heard rumours. I kept hearing that she was really close with that new Kazekage."

Baki noticed the boy's strange, fidgety behaviour. He assumed there was only so much a person could take when they were smothered in darkness almost constantly with only a meagre meal for lunch, which was more drugs than food.

"Temari has absolutely no romantic interest with Fumio, Shikamaru. Don't worry about that." Baki then studied him more carefully before saying, "You haven't eaten anything for a while, haven't you?"

Shikamaru shook his head, his breaths coming out ragged and uneven. "Three days without food or water. Such a drag, but at least I could keep my chakra."

Baki locked eyes with the shadow nin, or rather, with his surrogate daughter's future husband. He then sighed deeply and shook his head. "I'm in trouble already, Shikamaru. I traded my freedom for Temari's. I didn't ask to be a guard tonight, but Fumio rather forced me."

Shikamaru shrugged wordlessly, lowering his eyes.

"As I said, I'm in trouble already. So I might as well sink myself as low as I can get." As he finished speaking, he pulled the keys from his pockets. Hurriedly, he found the desired key and shoved it in the lock, hearing it open with a satisfying click. He raised his eyes to meet Shikamaru's once more and said intently, "Follow me."

* * *

The two men furtively made their way through the maze of streets, taking great pains to avoid anyone in their way. Baki sometimes had to prompt the konoha shinobi, who was tittering dangerously with tiredness.

"When we're going to enter," Baki warned as they jogged up the road close to the Sabaku mansion, "I'll have to go back to the jail. There's quite a lot of ANBU, both outside and inside, sneaking around to ensure the family's trapped. We'll have to be careful."

Shikamaru nodded weakly as they finally crept up to the back door. Baki used one of his personal keys, which mysteriously unlocked it, yet refrained from explaining how he came to be in possession of such a key. The pair slipped inside the darkened corridors; the older man leading the younger one with a grip upon his forearm.

They made their way down the hall, then ascended the staircase in utter silence. The darkness was total except for the rays of the moon streaking from the window, which glided upon the rich floors and illuminated their path.

They were finally at the awaited door. Baki placed his hand on the doorknob as he squinted, studying the padlock intently. _'Shit...' _But not one to be outsmarted by such a device, the man pulled out a thin wire and readied himself to insert it in the lock to pry it open.

Suddenly, though, a voice rang from behind them. "Well, it seems that we have action here tonight?" The two whirled around, which made the voice continue as the third man shone a flashlight in their faces. "Baki, what a surprise. Are you smuggling men in Temari's room? I don't like that one bit. Get out now or I'm calling every ANBU within a kilometre of this home..."

Baki glanced at Shikamaru, but knew he was caught. After narrowing his eyes, he slowly passed in front of the Leaf shinobi, whispering a soft apology in the process. The man waited until Temari's old sensei had exited the house to turn his attention on Shikamaru. He closed the flashlight and crossed his arms, awaiting explanations.

Shikamaru leaned against the door, knowing that his lover was directly behind it. He had come so close to her...

"I am Chokichi," the man said. His eyes were rimmed with red and he looked distraught, yet Shikamaru couldn't imagine that he was the cause for the man's problems. But Chokichi then noticed the mark upon his wrists and growled darkly. "You're a shinobi from Konoha?"

"I am," he shrugged. There was no need in hiding it anymore. "Nara Shikamaru, if you'd like to address me by name."

"Your kind of people..." Chokichi bristled angrily. "They killed my beautiful woman. They murdered the girl I was planning to marry. Why should I not kill you right here and now?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Because she surely killed Konoha shinobi as well. This is a war, we all have to do sacrifices." He raised his eyes to stare hard at Chokichi. "But I am sorry for your loss. My sensei passed away due to shinobi duties a few years ago, so I understand your pain."

Chokichi glared at Shikamaru hardly, unsure if he should trust him or not. Suddenly, though, his entire demeanor changed drastically. His face fell into an expression of understanding as tears momentarily slipped down his face. "Nara Shikamaru. From Konoha. You're Temari's boyfriend."

The shadow wielder nodded, still leaning heavily upon the door.

Chokichi waited a few minutes, letting the silence envelop them, before saying softly, "Fumio sent my girl out on a practical suicide mission. It's his fault she's gone. I've never detested a man more than I do him."

Shikamaru shrugged, his eyes now scanning the carpet. He was so tired...

"I won't let him destroy another person," Chokichi determinedly nodded. He reached over and placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "I'll let you in under the condition that I'm waking you both up before five. We need to get you out of here before that time."

Shikamaru suddenly felt a wave of energy piping through his veins. He would be seeing her soon...

It was without disinclination that Chokichi unlocked the thick padlock of Temari's bedroom. Then, with another pat on Shikamaru's shoulder, the Suna ANBU left the corridor, retreating into his own quarters without a single look back.

* * *

Shikamaru pushed the door of Temari's bedroom open. It moved with an infinite slowness, seemingly rejoicing in giving him only the smallest taste of this treat with every passing second. Finally, he had a gap wide enough to slip in; he did so quietly, half expecting her to jump out of her bed and to attack him.

What he saw instead, through the darkness streaked with moonlight, was his angel sleeping on the majestic bed.

His fatigue, which had been building gradually over the days spent in prison, flew away as he set eyes on Temari's figure. He made his way to the side of the bed, his fingers reaching to touch the cool sea green sheets, his gaze lingering on the various plays of the shades of shadows.

He then rose his dark brown eyes and settled them upon Temari's face. He studied her intently, his entire being shaking with desire to hold her in his arms. Yet the utterly exhausted look upon her face, which spoke of weeks of insomnia, made him reluctant to give in. The skin under her eyes had dimmed in contrast to her tanned skin, taking on a shade of tired gray. She had surely taken hours to fall asleep, was it really worth it?

But still, the shinobi couldn't stop himself. Her teeth were gritted and her eyebrows were slightly furrowed with concern. Shikamaru knew her body language well enough to know that she was stressed; her shoulders and back were tight, the rest of her body ready to spring out of bed at the nearest sign of danger. It pained him to see her suffering, yet knew that even the slightest touch of comfort he could bring her would help. Therefore, with a slowness that surprised him, he gently touched the soft cheek that wasn't resting on the pillow with the back of his fingers. She sighed lightly upon his breezy touch, yet still didn't stir or open her eyes.

Tears stung upon the shadow wielder's eyes, his relief for finding her well and alive overtaking his pent-up emotions. He then tore his eyes away to control his feelings; he was a proud man, and giving Temari reason for his nickname 'Crybaby' wasn't his idea of an ideal reunion.

He shook his head lightly and contoured the bed. He now faced Temari's sleeping back, his figure casting a dark shadow on her bed. After taking one last look around at the ethereal moonlight entering the room, he managed to kick off his shoes. Then, with infinite carefulness, he manoeuvred himself down on the comfortable mattress behind her. As he settled down on one of the many dark pillows that adorned her headboard, he felt her shift slightly in front of him. Before she could wake up, he tenderly slid an arm around her waist, settling his hand on her midriff.

Temari then fully stirred, yet it took her only a brief second to realize that she wasn't alone. Instantly, she grabbed his wrist would would've snapped it in half had he not breathed out her name.

She stiffened, analysing the voice before hurriedly sitting up, wrenching his hand away in the process. After a moment of hesitation, she turned around rapidly and her eyes connected with Shikamaru's.

Seconds of stunned silence passed by as Shikamaru also sat up. He could vaguely see, in the mirror a few metres away, his dirty and dishevelled appearance. He winced before turning his eyes back to his much-surprised lover.

"Hi, woman," he smiled lightly, bringing a hand up to run it through his greasy hair. "Surprise, I guess."

Temari uneasily looked at him, unsure of how to take this. "Fumio, if this is one of your screwed-up jokes, it's not the least funny."

He could see the faint tears gliding over her eyes, which made him smile even more. He reached over and cupped her cheek in his hand, rubbing it lightly. "What a troublesome woman. I've been back for a minute and she's already doubting me." His hand skimmed down her velvety skin, tracing an unmarked pattern from her cheek to the back of her neck. "Baki got me out of jail and your personal guard out there allowed me to come in. I have to admit I'm jealous, woman.. There's too many men around here."

The more he talked, the less she believed it was a hoax. Even if it was, she desired to be held by her lover, no matter if it was truly him or not. Her heart began racing; the spots where his fingers has skimmed her skin burned hotly. "Shikamaru..."

She didn't waste another second; she crawled the remaining distance and sunk against him, looping her arms around his neck tightly in the process. He also hurriedly grasped her, binding her tightly against his chest as all the time's pent-up passion surfaced. They clung against each other tightly, as though they would lose each other if they'd let go. Both were struggling to keep their relief from tearing them down into a state of tears.

After a few minutes, Temari inched away in order to be able to look at him. Her eyes fell to his wrists when he took her hands, and she gave a sharp intake of breath as she noticed the burnt branding upon his pale skin. She raised her aquamarine eyes to meet his as she whispered, "Shikamaru, I'm so sorry..."

He also looked down briefly, before raising his shoulders in a careless motion. "It's fine, you had nothing to do with it. Actually, it'll be useful for the future; if I get lost, people can just place me in a box and ship me back home."

A small smile broke over her serious face as she shook her head. "You didn't change the slightest."

Seconds passed in silence as they both scanned each other, immortalizing the moment in their minds. She then gently skimmed her fingers against his face, still worried he might disappear at any second now. Her face slowly lost its traces of humour as she ran her thumb over his comfortably, "You look so tired..."

He chuckled lightly, though his tone held a note of somberness. "I'm beyond tired." As soon as he spoke the words, his exhaustion crashed back in his system, and he sunk against the blonde kunoichi for support. "I haven't slept a full night ever since I came home from that bogus mission Fumio sent us on..." Now that the rush of adrenaline had begun to lower, his words were becoming slurred or hard to comprehend.

Smiling lightly, Temari leaned back in her bed, pulling Shikamaru down with her. Once she was settled in the thin covers, he snugly rested his head in the crook of her neck, settling warmly close to her.

"You know..." he mumbled quietly, his eyes closed. "I kept imagining how we'd see each other again. I never thought I'd be falling asleep only minutes after."

She laughed softly; the noise so strange to her own ears that she took a few seconds to remember what she wanted to say. "I think we all deserve sleep. Goodnight, lazy ass."

"Goodnight, my troublesome woman."

* * *

A/N: I am officially drowning in fluff. x.x

But I know most of ya peeps will like it, riiiight? I promised you some Shikamaru, you got some Shikamaru.

I would've honestly cut off the chapter at the third line break, but I honestly think that Yumi-chan, Shadow-la, Flippy and Jenni would've all impaled me one at a time. So I continued it. XD For y'all.

Just cause I know I'll get the question: no, the fic is not over. I still want some Fumio bashing in there...

Hope you enjoyed!

Now, I have some bad news. I really thought I would be able to finish this story before October 31rst, but now I kind of see it'll be impossible to do this. I'm on the verge of starting NaNoWriMo 2008 (30 days to write a 50 000 worded novel. Anyone else in with me on this crazily fun adventure? Link is on my profile!). All this in four days. So I'm giving you all the choice: a rapid ending before October 31rst, or you guys wait until December for me to finish out the fic in a nicer long draft. I might even do another arc. Or, third option, I do both. XD I end the story kind of rapidly, then add a third fic that's completely different when it'll come to December! Chose your fancy!

Sorry in advance...

Take care!


	13. Early Mornings

**Dedication: For CloudedMirror, aka Yumi-chan. Why? Because I'm still alive today, which is a feat worthy of a dedication. **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Thirteenth: Early Mornings**

It was dark in the room when Temari felt the smallest touch of his lips upon her forehead. Smiling contentedly, she nudged closer to the body lying beside her as the events of the previous night came to her mind.

"Don't fall back to sleep, woman," he whispered lightly, running a hand over her back. "It's already four-thirty and Chokichi said he would be waking us before five."

Temari moaned lightly and cracked her eyes opened. She smiled up at him as he reached down to press his forehead to hers, also returning her small grin.

"I assume, lazy ass, you wanted a hot shower and some food before we send you out?" she asked softly.

He shrugged, but Temari had already made up her mind. She crawled out of the warm covers, shivering as the cool night air taunted her skin. Making her way to the other side of her bed, she hurriedly tugged him out of the sheets and said, "Then off to the shower you go; I'll take care of the breakfast."

Shikamaru grunted also when the cool air assaulted him, yet obeyed by crawling out reluctantly. He shuffled out of the room while rubbing his sleep-filled eyes, and Temari soon followed, yet headed for the kitchen. There, she whipped up a rapid breakfast of fruits and bread with a large glass of milk.

Without any hurry, she made her way up the spiral staircase before once again entering her room. The sound of the nearby shower betrayed her lover's location, though the rest of the house was quiet. Hence why she never saw what was coming next.

As soon as she entered her room, Temari came face-to-face with her two brothers and Chokichi. The trio were seated on her bed, all looking at her with blank, expectant looks upon their faces. She nervously set the platter on the bedside table and reached a hand up to run through her tousled mane of blond hair. "Hi guys... Did I wake you up?"

"I took them out of their room," Chokichi shrugged as Kankuro nodded his confirmation. "Hiding a felon turns out to be a very punishable offense; we're going to need all of our heads to figure out how to get him out of here alive."

Surprisingly, out of her two brothers, Gaara was the first to speak up. "I mentioned it before, Chokichi. Give Shikamaru a few minutes to think it over and he'll find a way."

As Chokichi turned around questioningly, Kankuro put forward, "The guy's a freaking genius. He has an IQ of over two hundred."

Chokichi smiled lightly at Temari despite his saddened eyes. "Didn't expect anything less for your standards. I can assume your brothers wouldn't let anyone but the very best to court you."

After a few more seconds, Shikamaru entered the room. His hair was still dripping wet and hung around his face, yet Temari's heart still began to race at the mere sight of him. He was wearing Chokichi's best clothing: comfortable-looking black pants and a loose dark red cardigan. On his wrists -mostly to conceal his branding marks- were two black wristbands.

As soon as she saw him, the kunoichi shot a sly look at Chokichi, thanking him with her eyes before handing the platter to the starving boy. He eyed it uneasily for a few seconds before beginning to plow through the food.

As Shikamaru ate, Kankuro started the conversation with a bleak statement. "We gotta kick shadow freak out of here. It's lethal to our safety, we all know it."

Temari shot him a glare that could melt iron, yet Kankuro returned it with a steely glare of his own. Unfortunately, Chokichi nodded lightly. "Well, I agree, Temari, though I wouldn't really say it as rudely as Kankuro did. Gaara mentioned earlier that the penalty for smuggling enemy shinobi was, if you're lucky, instant death."

Shikamaru stopped eating; a piece of bread hung from his fingers, forgotten. He made a face and lowered the food, glumly staring at the floor.

But Temari wasn't about to give up. Angrily, she stomped a foot against the floor, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I freaking just got him back and you all want him to leave already? No one would have to know he's here, it's not like we'll go around screaming it all over the town!"

"Temari!" Kankuro grunted, narrowing his eyes to slits. "There are over fifteen ANBU members monitoring the house constantly- it's a miracle no one spotted Baki when he came in. If he stays here, something will eventually give him away. Wether it's a moving curtain, or missing food, or a flickering light, one day, we will get caught. It's putting all of our lives in danger."

The kunoichi was about to protest once more when Shikamaru touched her arm. His face was serious as he said gently, "They're right, woman. Stop being so troublesome; I have to leave."

"And where will you go?" she whined, turning her back to the three men to face her lover directly. "Good luck trying to get out of the village, you'll get caught before you can manage a mile."

Gaara then spoke up. "Or he could use the tunnels."

Temari whirled around, her eyes slitted with wonder as she asked, "You can still access the tunnels? I thought it was just the Kazekage and a chosen few who could enter them."

"You mean that they actually exist? I thought they were just rumours!" Chokichi sputtered out.

Kankuro brushed the ANBU's comment aside and slyly glanced at Gaara. "Surprisingly, Temari, our little brother has more Sabaku blood in him than we thought. I kinda wondered if he was adopted or something, at first, but now I clearly see he's our little brother. Wait till you hear this!"

Gaara lightly smiled, only a slight shadow of humour in his face. "Fumio does not know of the tunnels. I may have surrendered my office, yet I still kept quite a large amount of things at home. Including the key to the entrance of the tunnels."

Temari blinked, unsure wether to believe it or not. Shikamaru, though, was still looking perplexed.

Smiling at his curiosity, the kunoichi reached over to brush her hand over his arm. "I think it's the first time I've ever seen you not knowing anything, lazy ass. It's quite charming to see you confused for once."

He shot her an annoyed glance. "I don't live here, stop acting like a little miss-know-it-all."

She instantly bristled in defensive and snapped, "And you, stop acting like a little whiny crybaby! Use your brains! What are tunnels, Shikamaru? Big opening underground! Ohh, that was hard!"

"You're being a bitch, woman, stop it," he grumbled, looking away from her and crossing his arms.

Temari was about to retort when Chokichi stood up, raising his arms with a stricken look to his face. "Stop fighting guys! Please, it's not worth getting into an argument!"

The two lovers looked at each other, then blankly stared back at Chokichi. Temari spoke up for the pair, "We weren't arguing."

Kankuro then piped in from behind Chokichi. "Believe me, they weren't fighting. If they would've been fighting, they'd both be covered in blood. This was teasing, nothing more. Don't worry about it, it's way too common for anyone to fuss over that."

Chokichi blinked, confused, before sinking back upon the bed.

"The tunnels," Gaara explained in a low voice, "are small -as Temari put it- tunnels underground that leads you out of the village. The Kazekage has the key to the entrance in case there's a grave emergency that requires him to get away hurriedly."

Temari made a face. "Though I don't see what it's useful for. If there would be an emergency, wouldn't the Kazekage be the first to help? He wouldn't really be one to run away..."

"Nonetheless," Gaara said as he stood up, "the key is yours. Temari, will you bring Shikamaru to the entrance? He can keep the key- I trust him enough to lend it to him."

Shikamaru crossed Gaara's cool glare and smiled lightly with thanks.

The blonde took the key in her hand and nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She turned to her boyfriend and tauntingly pulled the key just out of his reach. "Let's get out of here, Nara. I'll even race you to the front door."

* * *

A/N: Yeah, so be proud. You got another chapter. You only got another chapter so soon because there's a huge snow storm tonight (those stereotypes you hear about Canada and snow will be kind of true this year). So if I have a snow day tomorrow, you'll have another chapter by tomorrow. But I doubt it- the school board isn't one to shut down the buses for the first snow storm... Unless there's hail... hm...

Thanks for reading!

Take care!


	14. Surprises in the Dark Alley

**Chapter fourteen: Surprises in the Dark Alley**

The smallest tendrils of light were beginning to emerge from the horizon. The night was still cool, chilling the blonde kunoichi as she hurried through the hidden corners of the city. She tightened her hold on Shikamaru's hand, the pressure against her palm and fingers sending even more shudders down her spine. As she involuntarily shivered, he squeezed her hand lovingly, smiling lightly as she expertly led him around the village.

They were in a darkened alley when Temari slid behind a large mountain of crates, dragging him behind her. She raised a finger to her lips and waited a few seconds, the silence enveloping them like a smothering blanket. Both could hear their respective heartbeats in the quiet of the moment.

"Okay," she whispered lightly, turning away from him. "We're here."

She softly dusted off a very concealed handle and lock, blowing carefully on it to remove the loose dirt. She then slid the key in, hearing it click satisfyingly.

She was about to turn around when she felt Shikamaru's comforting hands sliding around her stomach. Her throat caught painfully, just as it did every single time they were separated. Sighing lightly, she closed her eyes and leaned back in his embrace, placing both of her hands over his as he rocked her slowly left and right.

"I'm going to miss you, woman," he whispered lovingly, his voice only a soft caress upon her ear.

She then inched around until she was facing him, his hands hanging low upon her back. She looped her arms around his neck and said softly, "I'm going to miss you too, pineapple head." Temari then shot him a loving smile, reaching up to touch his newly-made ponytail.

"I've noticed," he lazily drawled as he pressed his forehead to hers, "that you haven't kissed me up till now. Practising abstinence, woman?"

The blonde kunoichi obviously took this as a straightforward challenge. Narrowing her eyes, she glared up at him as a mischievous grin made its way to her face. "Are you daring me?"

He shrugged, lightly pulling away from her in a teasing fashion. "Why not?"

"Well then," she cooly replied, letting her hands fall from the back of his neck. "I guess I'll have to take the bet and win my share."

As she finished speaking, she reached up with her right hand to grasp his collar. Before he could react, she pulled him down close to her and pressed her lips against his firmly.

If she had planned on keeping her cool-headed sense, her previous actions had tossed it right out of the window. She soon lost her ferocity as she pulled back for a single fleeting breath, diving in for another sweet kiss. Shikamaru wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in a crushing embrace as he leaned her against the cold brick wall of the house where the tunnel's door was encrusted. His hands moved from her back to her hips slowly as they kept on sharing their neediest kiss yet.

Yet it wasn't long before they both heard a sharp yelp a few feet besides them. Shikamaru jumped aside hurriedly, tearing himself from his woman as both turned to look at a petite old woman standing besides them. Behind her was a girl her height, wrapped from head to toe in sand-coloured sheets. The latter held a bag of groceries in her arms and stopped moving as soon as the old woman had ordered her.

"What are you two doing at such a tardy hour? It's almost six in the morning!" the woman screeched, waving her arms around madly. "Shouldn't you both be at home with your families! Shame of you both to be out, at this hour, fumbling around like a married couple!"

Shikamaru's cheeks heated lightly, yet Temari only giggled and took a step forward. "Hello Haruna-san. It's me, Temari."

The woman's eyes widened, and she broke into a warm smile. "Oh, dearest, I'm really sorry; I never recognized you!" She then turned to Shikamaru, who flinched lightly as she set her steady eyes upon him. "What a fine young man you have there. Are you Shikamaru, dear?"

The shadow user was about to nod when the figure behind the woman stirred. The grocery bag fell to the floor, sending various objects littering all over the sand. It then took the shape of a girl as she attempted to take off her heavy costume. Finally, a blonde head of hair popped out from the top of the costume and glared at Shikamaru unbelievingly. "Shika?"

Temari's mouth fell slightly open as Shikamaru openly stared. "Ino? What the hell are you doing here?"

She smiled victoriously and nodded towards the old woman as she shook the remaining sheets from her body. "Haruna-san took me in to become her 'slave'. I've been here for almost ten days now. She's totally against the war and hates the new Kazekage, so she lets a few of us stay at her place."

Shikamaru smirked as Temari asked, "How many people are actually in your home, Haruna-san?"

The old woman gave a toothy smile and leaned against the wall besides Ino. "About fifteen shinobi are here. I keep them all tucked away in my basement, and no one ever knows they're here!"

"What about the food!" exclaimed the Suna kunoichi. "Don't the merchants get suspicious when you go out for a full command every single day?"

Ino shrugged and answered for the older woman. "We actually do different markets every day. Plus most of them actually know there are hidden shinobi in my home; quite a few host shinobi also anyways."

Temari rested against Shikamaru, letting the shinobi's body holding her into a standing position. "So you mean that we actually have been smothered by Konoha shinobi and we didn't know? How many are there?"

"Hidden in this city," Haruna presumed thoughtfully, "are about a thousand Jounins from Konoha. Those who were captured, you see, were only decoys to make Fumio think that he's gaining an advantage. Notice that if you go into jail, those in cages, are the ones who have the best moral strength. No matter how badly they'd stab or prod or beg them, they'd never reveal anything about their village."

She briefly thought back to the knowledge of Neji and Tenten being captured, and smiled lightly. That was surely true; neither would even start to consider betraying their home village. They were much too proud for that.

"Well," said Temari as she glanced sideways at Shikamaru. "Haruna-san, do you think that you may have another place in your home for a poor lost Shinobi? He's even top strategist in Konoha, you know. He'd be a great addition to your home, Haruna-san, and he wouldn't cause any troubles. Right Shika?"

The shinobi rolled his eyes, yet they spoke of desire to have a true home, even if he'd have to share it with sixteen other people.

Haruna smiled welcomingly at Shikamaru. "Of course, son, you can come into my home. But Temari, dear, you'll have to limit your visits or Fumio will become suspicious of us."

"I promise, Haruna-san!" she promised, slipping a hand through her boyfriend's lovingly. "Thank you. Though I still don't understand how exactly we smuggled so many shinobi in."

Haruna smiled lightly. "Your brothers have been filtering through people, finding places to stay for anyone from Konoha. They've got more than six hundred homes through the entire village ready to take in people if the need comes. Actually, he told me recently that he had over 60% of the ANBU population on his side."

A fifth voice made itself known behind them. "More than seventy percent, now."

The company of people all turned to see Baki shaking his head. Staring icily at them, he said, "We can hear you guys clearly from quite a few metres away. Be thankful that the ANBU who overheard you was on Gaara's side, or you all would've been fried." He shot Temari a look. "Come on, I have to bring you home. I passed there this morning, only to find your brothers and Chokichi fretting that you were taking too much time. I promised I'd go stop the make o–"

"Anyways," Temari cut in, shooting Baki another icy glance, "can you all get the hell out of here while I give Shikamaru a proper goodbye?"

Ino rose her eyebrows suggestively, but Haruna grabbed her arm and tugged her out of the alleyway to wait outside. Baki, though, took a few steps towards Shikamaru and said in a grave voice, "Son, did your father have _the talk _with you yet? If not, I think I better–"

"Out!" Temari barked, physcally shoving her old sensei away. "You can talk to him later if you want, Baki-sensei!"

The older man chuckled teasingly and also rounded the corner, rejoining Ino and the old woman.

"What a joker," she groaned as she turned to face Shikamaru, soon looping her arms around his neck. The sunlight was now beginning to steak out dangerously, so she knew she had to make this quick.

Shikamaru also hugged her close to him as he mumbled through her hair, "I don't mind Baki. He's a good man. Troublesome, but a good man nonetheless."

Temari grinned and leaned back. Without warning, she reached up on her tiptoes and gave him a soft, rapid kiss. Then she rolled her eyes and moved in a second time, this time taking her sweet time to fully enjoy the kiss he was offering her.

"You're going to be a good little non-troublesome woman?" he sighed as she attempted to pull away.

She grinned lightly and shook her head. "I refuse."

He sighed and raised his eyes to the sky. "That's exactly what I thought." After those words, he gave her another long kiss before darting away.

* * *

A/N: I'm baaack! I survived NaNoWriMo! Woot! You are reading the text of a NaNoNovelist 2008! 50, 400 words in 30 days! Yay!

There will be a small period of transition, where I'll need to read and review the (approximate) 200 chapters that were updating during November. X.x Reviews will have to be replied to and such... Though honestly, don't expect me to reply to those in November... I promise that I do read them though! As of now I'm starting my routine again for FF!

Anyways, hope you didn't forget about me!

Take care!


	15. The Declaration

**Chapter fifteen: The Declaration**

"You!" Temari growled teasingly as she burst in Gaara's room. "How dare you be so cheeky about everything! How come I didn't know about all of this? About the hundreds of shinobi hidden right in here, in my home village!"

In the room was both of her brothers and Chokichi, yet none of them looked surprised at her outburst.

"Took you long enough," Kankuro grumbled, running a hand nervously through his chocolate-coloured hair. "Kami, I was getting ready to get out there and to rip that shadow freak into pieces..."

Gaara broke in to ask coolly, "Did Baki fully inform you about Konoha's shinobi in here?"

"Yeah." Temari slunk down in a chair close to their table. "I can't believe you guys did all that behind my back."

Chokichi made a face. "We pretty much figured you were stressed enough as it was. Plus, had you known, maybe you wouldn't have acted like you did. You made an amazing job. Fumio completely trusts you, now, which is a definite advantage to us."

"And what's our big plan?" Temari asked as she leaned over, her face lit with interest.

The men in the room all suddenly smirked. Baki, after placing a hand comfortingly on her shoulder, said, "I guess you'll just have to wait some more, Temari."

She scoffed, shaking her head. She had almost considered it, but she had been certain that her brothers weren't that cruel. _'What am I thikning? This is Sabaku no Gaara and Kankuro we're discussing here...'_

"Actually," Gaara nodded, "you won't have to wait very long, from what I know."

"How long?"

A sudden smirk made its way onto the redhead's face. "Not more than a week, I promise. Just watch what may happen next weekend."

* * *

Fumio glanced at himself in the mirror again, then made a face and swiftly pulled out a comb. Then, even though his hair had been almost geometrically parted down in the middle, he messed them up with his hands. Once the seperation had been truly lost in the sea of dirty blond hair, he began to cautiously comb them into a sideway part.

A few minutes later, he raised his eyes in the mirror to stare at the girl behind him. "Better?"

Temari almost rolled her eyes. "I liked it better before."

As he began once again to part his hair down the middle, Temari looked at her own self briefly. Apparently, today was supposed to be some super important day for Suna, so Fumio was holding a press conference and wanted her beside him to host it. He had even supplied her with the slutty outfit that seemingly came with such a job.

Her navy top was way too low cut; even Temari herself was uncomfortable. Even though she usually didn't care, it seemed to her that she appeared more trashy than professional.

The short leather skirt didn't help the look either.

To finish it off, her hair was now in a low ponytail, and large loop silver earrings finished the outfit. She had drawn the line there, avoiding the mention of stilettos and a slather of makeup.

She then clicked her tongue impatiently, waiting for the man to decide on his hair. They had been staring at that mirror for over three hours, and she was getting blatantly sick of it. The entire village was waiting for them outside, and making them wait certainly wasn't the best of idea.

"After today," Fumio began ranting, "I will be the most feared Kage in the world! I will be able to do everything I want, and take everything that pleases me. Soon, I may even rule the world!"

Temari had to struggle not to laugh. Or cry.

"I will build myself this huge house to be able to govern all of this, of course." Then, he turned fully to face Temari. "But living in that mansion alone would be kind of boring, Jewel..." His eyes began to gleam. "Temari, it would do me the honour to accept your obvious desires. I assume you would make a delectable choice for a bri–"

"I think the ceremony's going to start now," Temari burst in hurriedly, then turned towards the door. "Coming, Kazekage-sama?"

He chuckled. "Ah, Jewel, I'll rephrase my demand after my speech! You will not be able to refuse then!"

"Sure I won't." Her last phrase had been spoken under her breath, yet she was certain Fumio had not heard it. He began whistling, which proved her theory even further.

* * *

"Dearest citizens of Suna!" Fumio boistered importantly.

At that point, Temari could count at least twenty people rolling their eyes, over fifty simply chatting with neighbours, about a dozen staring blankly in space, and about thirty sleepers. _'And his speech hasn't even started yet. I guess it can't get really worse.'_

But suddenly, his tone changed. His eyes began shining, and a sudden seriousness overtook him. Temari shifted her eyes from the crowd to him, and she knew that a few people also did the same. The group of paparazzi began to buzz lightly, snapping shots of the very first time that Fumio actually appeared like a Kazekage.

"I have thought very much about our beautiful village," Fumio said, leaning lightly against the podium for support. "I don't think it's fair that we all live cramped in a little hot desert when we could be walking the green streets of Konoha!"

Temari noticed Baki standing on the far side of the crowd. He was narrowing his eyes and shook his head, and a paparazzi decided to speak what was on both of their minds. "But being a part of Suna is suffering through our conditions! It makes us who we are!"

Fumio thought for a brief moment, but then said, "But we know of nothing else. I'm sure most of us would adapt very well."

That quieted down the paparazzi. Temari raised her eye to meet Fumio's, and he winked at her flirtatiously. She was actually surprised to hear him speak things that made sense, though a part of her was wondering whether that earpiece really was to block out the noise of the crowd. She vaguely suspected him to be taking his words right out of a mastermind's lips.

Another paparazzi spoke up. "So what are your plans to take us out of such binds, Kazekage-sama?"

Fumio began to chuckle, and Temari winced lightly. She was certain she wouldn't like what would come next. Then, he told everyone what he had been planning ever since the beginning.

"I declare that the real war with Konoha has officially begun!"

* * *

A/N: I honestly did miss the cliffhangers. I know, though, that you're all expecting what will come next, but I just can't have him say it, or else another 1000 words will come forth and I won't be able to stop the chapter! The next one will come soon, I promise, since it will be the ending chapter. Like this one, it will be a bit on the shorter side. I know, it's sad, but I honestly can't add another arc to this story.

Thanks for reading! Send a review!

Take care!


	16. Silent Appearances

Dedication: For Shadow-gal! I definitely hope that, even though it was an abrupt ending, it will be one that you'll remember forever!

* * *

_Another paparazzi spoke up. "So what are your plans to take us out of such binds, Kazekage-sama?"_

_Fumio began to chuckle, and Temari winced lightly. She was certain she wouldn't like what would come next. Then, he told everyone what he had been planning ever since the beginning. _

**Chapter sixteen: Silent Appearances**

Boldly, Fumio shouted, "I officially declare a full out war with Konoha!"

Temari froze, as did everyone else. A brief moment of shock rippled through the crowd, but no one fully had the time to register that information. What came next shocked most people into a complete and utter unbelief. The microphone suddenly fell from Fumio's hand as he stumbled a few feet backwards, his eyes wide and his mouth open. He then began trembling and his head shook slowly.

There was no microphone left for his words to be projected, but Temari was close enough to hear him speak. "This is impossible..."

Konoha ANBU littered the place. One moment they hadn't been there; the other there were thousands. Some were sitting down, some were standing up. Some were behind Fumio, while some just surrounded the stand. They were simply everywhere.

But Temari was sure of one thing; these were not all ANBU. The masks were simply there for an element of surprise, to shock Suna shinobi into not attacking. Most were Jounin, with only the lowest percentage as ANBU. A lot of Chuunins were also present.

She was even more surprised when Gaara suddenly stood. He made his way to the stage, then glared heatedly at Fumio. "You wanted a war: you declared it publically. Now there's nothing holding them back but my word."

Fumio looked around, still flabbergasted by the hundreds of enemy shinobi surrounding him. He began to speak, but then he reached over and picked up his microphone so his voice could be heard. "Y-Your word?" He swallowed painfully.

Gaara smirked. "Not everyone likes you, Fumio. Not everyone wants you as their Kazekage." He then nodded and approximately three quarters of the crowd stood up. Those who were still seated looked up both fearfully and with wonder. A few also stood rapidly, mainly out of desire not to be left out of the majority.

Fumio blinked, then shouted, "You're such a traitor! I gave you liberty, and yet you throw it all back in my face!"

"You have no more authority, Fumio. Give up," Kankuro shouted, getting to Gaara's side. A few of Suna's shinobi shouted their agreements, which made the blond Kazekage take a few steps back.

"Your sister was considering marrying me!" Fumio suddenly yelled, pointing at Temari. It was a poor excuse, and a few shinobi booed. But Fumio was frantic, and he settled his eyes upon her and whispered pleadingly. "Please tell them."

Temari suddenly felt everyone looking her way. A sudden smart reply shot through her mind and she almost said it out loud when a single ANBU moved. He jumped high in the air, only to fall directly behind Temari.

She recognized him just by the way he had jumped. His body, even though covered by ANBU gear, was even more attracting than it was when he only wore his normal shinobi gear. The navy and royal purple hues of his sleeveless shirt matched to perfection with the black cargo pants. His hair had been let loose again, giving him a wild and untamed look. The crowd suddenly forgotten, she turned lightly to look at him, smiling invitingly at the eyes of his deer mask.

He stepped forward and swept her in one of his arms. With his free hand, he reached up and lifted his mask up to his nose, and then leaned down and captured her lips in his. The kiss didn't last very long, but it was long enough to send her head spinning and her knees weakening. She vaguely heard some catcalls in the back, from both Suna and Konoha, but the only person that mattered was the one in front of her.

As she pulled away, she breathlessly whispered, "You crave attention too much, Crybaby."

"Come on," Shikamaru chuckled as the mask came back upon his face. "Don't tell me that this wasn't the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for you, troublesome woman? I actually tried to please you for once, and you're still complaining. What more do you want?"

She grinned contentedly, then leaned in his embrace and turned to look at a dumbstruck Fumio.

He shook his head slowly, then turned back to face the crowd. More and more were standing, shouting at him and a few began to throw kunai. None of the Konoha shinobi moved; they simply hung back and looked at the people surrounding them.

But suddenly, Suna shinobi began to jump on stage. Fumio rose a hand to start a Jutsu, but was trembling so much that he couldn't even manage a single hand seal. Since the crowd was getting rowdier and rowdier, he whirled around and jumped offstage, then dashed back inside the Kazekage building. Some impartial ANBU began to push the crowd back, yet it was a lost battle already.

Temari inched back as people burst through the ANBU barrier and after Fumio, feeling Shikamaru's arms tightening around her. Looking up briefly at him, she said quietly, "I should go, and so should you. As soon as Fumio's followers are going to snap out of the shock, it's going to be a messy evening."

"I'll hang around your home," he promised, then reached up to brush her bangs from her eyes. "Be careful."

She smirked confidently, then tapped his chest affectionately before she whirled around. She was about to jump when Shikamaru grabbed her wrist. After clearing his throat softly, he leaned over and murmured, "If I were you, I'd walk, woman. That little skirt won't last very long if you jump."

Temari rolled her eyes, then shook his hand off. After giving him a lightly exasperated look, she snapped, "I wore shorts under, Crybaby. Don't worry that shinobi are going to peek under."

Then, she jumped.

---

Gaara couldn't help the smirk from emerging onto his features. His plan had gone by perfectly. Now, all that was left was to wait for Fumio to resign.

It hadn't been easy, but little by little he had been able to reach out to his Council. Many had admitted to being paid a hefty sum to switch and were shameful enough to promise him their loyalty. As soon as the entire council had been talked to, they had all begun to work at the ANBU. Most had previously been under Gaara's jurisdiction, yet the new group had also to be worked with. Surprisingly, none had resisted, glad that a Kazekage who was more work than play was finally stepping up.

Sure, he'd have to downgrade more than half of the Jounins and Chuunins, and more than twenty percent of the ANBU squad would have to go. The village would surely need time to adapt, but the redhead strongly believed he could do it.

He only turned to look at Temari when she fell besides him.

"Stupid clothes," she mumbled under her breath, straightening out her top and skirt. Once she was done, she looked up at Gaara. "That plan works I guess. Congratulations. What's next on your list of 'great plans to save Suna?'"

The redhead smiled slightly at his sister, then at Kankuro as the puppeteer also stopped behind them. "My list is all crossed out except for one small specific detail. One little ironic detail that I seemed to have been forgetting over the last few weeks."

"And that would be?" the oldest boy prompted.

Gaara smiled again. "Sleep."

* * *

A/N: Ahh, peaceful ending without any butt-kicking. Ownage without the fists or the guns! Woot!

Short chapter again, yeah, but I couldn't glue it with chapter fifteen. It didn't fit in. Instead I chose two short chaps posted quickly in-between.

Perhaps you didn't like the ending, and that's okay with me. Those last three chapters weren't pre-written weeks ago or anything. I personally believe that the ShikaTema scene was perfect and seriously deserves a fanart... XD Too bad I can't draw for ten cents.

Of course, my lovelies, you will get an epilogue. It might come after Christmas and New Year's, since my workplace officially decided to make me work about 35h this week. So boost 35h plus all the celebrating and the time I'll spend playing with my gifts... Ahh...

Merry Christmas and New Year's!

To those who don't celebrate; Happy Holidays!

To those who REALLY don't celebrate: Happy 21rst of December to January second! Woot!

Take care!


	17. Epilogue

**Dedication:** For Shadow Owner, since it's her story and it's the last chapter that will come out.

**A/N:** As usual, with my last chapters/epilogues, my Author's Note is at the beginning. See all other stories to find out why.

I'd like to thank all of those who read and reviewed! It was greatly appreciated! Sorry for the delay and for the lack of replies; I've had a horrible month of December and January, work wise. Now I should be all cleared up, so send those reviews in!

Thanks again!

Take care!

* * *

**Epilogue**

Three days passed afer the incident. That afternoon, Shikamaru entered the living room at the same time that Gaara attempted exiting it. Both had to halt abruptly, then coolly eyed the other.

The redhead's look was slightly wary. "I didn't hear a knock or the doorbell. How did you enter?"

Shikamaru shrugged carelessly. "Front door. It was unlocked. I came in."

"Obviously." Gaara rolled his eyes. "You seem to lack a certain sense of propriety, Shikamaru. One that I deem necessary to have if you are to constantly visit like you did the last few days."

"Sorry," Shikamaru shrugged, but then added rapidly, "Kazekage-sama."

A shadow of a smile tugged at the corners of Gaara's lips. "Thank you for the effort, yet I required before that you call me by my first name."

"It was more of a congratulations." The shadow user shrugged lightly. He brushed his hair back from his face, loose for the day, then politely sidestepped the younger boy and made his way into the room.

He had barely stopped in front of Kankuro, his second obstacle to getting close to his girlfriend, when a sudden crash made them all jerk. The sound of broken glass reverberated through the home, and while Shikamaru looked around, Kankuro simply sighed as though he had expected that.

Temari entered the room, walking slowly. She stopped beside her brother, yet her eyes shone as she glanced at her lover. "Hi, lazy a–"

"Oi, troublesome woman," he cut in, refusing to listening to her mean title. "What happened? Looked in the mirror again?"

Temari winced once she realized he was referring to the crashing sound made not ten seconds ago. "You'd deserve to be kicked. Hard."

He shrugged, but didn't have to require an explanation since Chokichi suddenly burst in the room, dragging a weeping Genin in his hands. The little boy looked to be about eleven year old, and he shivered frantically when all eyes turned upon him.

"I found the culprit!" Chokichi growled, settling the boy down on the red carpet. "This little fellow was having fun throwing rocks at our windows."

The boy kept weeping, then shook his head continuously. Finally, he managed to choke out, "A man asked me to do it! He gave me a coin to do it... I just wanted to buy myself ice cream..."

Shikamaru almost smiled, but Temari grinned first. Then, she shrugged at Chokichi. "He's harmless. Let him go; I think the fear of being caught will be enough for his punishment."

The boy's tears immediately halted. He instantly smiled and nodded, then took a step back. He didn't go far, though, since Shikamaru stopped him by grabbing his arm. After a second's examination, he leaned down and whispered softly in the boy's ears. "If I give you another coin, can you promise me never to throw rocks at this building?"

The boy nodded rapidly, grinning happily.

Shikamaru reached in his pockets for spare change, then pulled out two and slipped them in the boy's palm. He peered down at them, then chuckled and looked up. "Thank you, sir!" He then frowned lightly. "The man who gave me the rock told me to avoid Konohan shinobi also. You're not mean!" He then brightened. "But you can't count!"

Shikamaru also smiled at the boy. "I can count. Take the second coin and go buy ice cream to the most troublesome woman you know. Understood?"

The boy bowed deeply. "Yes sir!" He then whirled around and, after weaving skilfully around Chokichi, dashed out of the room.

After a few seconds of silence, Temari's sarcastic voice broke the tension. "Well, wasn't that just so adorable."

Gaara entered the room, so Shikamaru didn't have time to retort. Chokichi took this as a hint, and then excused himself to go tend the broken window. After a quick promise to have it fixed by nighttime, he vanished.

Kankuro looked glumly at Gaara. "I guess that not everyone is getting accustomed to the idea of your return to being our Kage."

The redhead shrugged, yet his eyes spoke for him. He didn't care much about a single incident within three days.

Temari then spoke up, looking straight in her lover's eyes. "And since I know you're full of questions and yet you're too lazy to ask them, Shikamaru, I'll answer them for you. Yes, we are keeping Chokichi around. We figured out that we somewhat needed someone to keep a look around our home. It's safer this way.

"Fumio vanished in thin air. Well, last I saw him, I was kicking his ass in the middle of the desert. I then told him I was giving him ten seconds to run. He ran. I let him go, since I know he's way too ashamed to ever come back to Suna. He'll surely try to start his life over in another shinobi country, or in just a regular town. News leaked that his chakra system was messed up. He was like Rock Lee from Konoha; he can't mold his chakra. Yet instead of working on taijutsu like Lee did, he gave up. He saw his teammates succeed and he failed, which angered him and made him jealous. He was also rich, since his entire family came from a line of very tough shinobi who made good money through their lives. He then managed to bribe people into voting him Kazekage. The rest is history."

Shikamaru yawned. "I knew that."

Temari rolled her eyes as Kankuro snickered and said, "Sure you did."

"And now," Gaara spoke up. "What are your plans?"

There was a moment of silence after that exchange. The two Sabaku brothers turned their eyes to Shikamaru, who raised his to the ceiling in a non-committal sort of way.

The blonde broke the silence. "Listen, brothers. It's either you get out of the room, or I'm running away with him." A small smile danced upon her face; she enjoyed seeing the slight blush making its way onto Shikamaru's face. She understood his intentions clearly.

Neither Kankuro nor Gaara flinched, so she reached over and grabbed Shikamaru's hand. "You guys asked for it!" She grinned and tugged him out of the living room, then out of the house.

They escaped the busy streets of Suna, choosing instead to pass behind the training grounds, where sand dunes and rocks rose high and would provide them with enough shade and privacy. Temari chose the area; a levelled spot just under a tall mountain-like rock, and sat down.

Shikamaru followed suit, yet positioned himself so that his head would rest on Temari's knees. When she glared at him, he only shrugged and murmured, "You're used to having sand all over yourself. I'm not."

"Well get used to it," she replied, yet affectionately began to play in his hair, a small smile playing upon her lips. "So, to keep my 'troublesome woman' status, I guess I'll have to keep asking troublesome questions."

He closed his eyes, shielding her beautiful face from his view. "Spare me, woman."

The kunoichi ignored him. "To repeat Gaara's question; what are you going to do now? Go back home?"

"Probably," he shrugged.

She sighed. The man was impossible. She prompted, "And?"

"And I plan to talk to my mom. She'll freak out and start preparing already, even though I want the ceremony in mid-Spring. November maybe?" He cracked his eyes open, his dark brown eyes studying her dark blue ones intently.

Temari felt her face drain and she backed out slightly. Out of every single possible things to come back home... No. He had to be kidding. "... What ceremony."

He groaned, reaching up to shield the sun from his eyes. "Our wedding, troublesome woman. Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

A few seconds passed in stunned silence. The kunoichi openly gaped at him, unsure of what to make of his words. He had to be kidding her... right? Simply to confirm her suspicions, she murmured just loudly enough for him to hear, "Are you proposing to me, Shikamaru?"

He only answered by giving her a sly smile, waiting for her answer.

After a brief second, she growled and glared at him heatedly. She moved her knees, forcing him to sit up beside her. "That was the most impersonal proposal in the entire world."

The shinobi turned around to face her, studying her face, the small grin still on his lips. "And that was the most impersonal affirmative answer in the world." Then, he reached over and kissed her carefully.

Part of her wanted to spit back at him that she refused, only to spite him. Yet the taste of his lips definitely made her change her mind. She found herself smiling and leaning into his embrace, pressing her hands against his chest.

The kiss didn't last very long, yet the feeling remained etched into her. She dropped her head to his shoulder and looped her arms around his neck, feeling his snaking around her waist. He rubbed her back without really thinking about it and she closed her eyes.

She could've remained this way for hours, yet she pulled away after only a few minutes to look at him squarely. "Hey, Shikamaru?"

"Hm?" He also looked at her, his face emotionless.

"Where's my ring?"

He shut his eyes and mentally prepared himself for the beating of his life. "Didn't buy one. Didn't feel like it. Too many troublesome kinds and shapes..."

Temari's eyes grew hard, though it was only to hide the sheer disappointment she felt. She got to her feet rapidly, turning her back to him and took in a deep breath. Instead of whimpering, of course, she yelled. "You are the most inconsiderate, stupid, lazy asshole I have ever met!"

She heard him quietly say behind her, "Temari..."

Yet she didn't stop. "I can't believe you! You could have done a tiny bit of effort for me if you love me like you say you do!"

"Temari..."

"Everyone knows it's the way to do it! Proposal equals ring. Well, if you call what you did a proposal!"

"Temari!"

The force in his voice made her stop talking. He rapidly gripped her wrist and turned her around. Her furious eyes met his grinning one, before she spat out, "You find this funny?"

"Do you really think I'm _that_ lazy?"

As he spoke, he reached in his pocket and pulled out a dark blue box. Before she could react, he opened it up and revealed a golden ring. A few diamonds sparkled on top, encrusted in the ring so she could wear it during missions without worrying about knocking them out. Shikamaru presented it to her and smiled, then said gently, "Sabaku no Temari, will you marry me?"

She almost felt tears in her eyes. Almost. The joy within her, however, couldn't be concealed the slightest. Wordlessly, she reached over and carefully plucked the ring from the box, slipping it upon her ring finger. It was beautiful and fitted perfectly. She looked up at Shikamaru's smiling face and shook her head.

"You're such an idiot. I love you. Of course I'll marry you."

Shikamaru grinned and crossed the distance between them. Then, he reached over and picked her up, pulling her against him tightly for a few seconds before bringing her back to the ground. Pressing his forehead to hers, he whispered softly, "Was that romantic enough for you, troublesome woman?"

She looked up at him, her shining eyes already answering for her. "You still forgot to get on your knees, Crybaby. But two proposals within a half hour is more than enough. Let's go back home."

He instantly found himself being dragged out of the training grounds. As he followed her, he couldn't help but grin and think to himself, "Nara Shikamaru, you will so end up whipped, just like your father..."


End file.
